The Race is On!

Understanding Speed and

Velocity
Imagine you and your friend are racing on bicycles.
You both reach the finish line at the same time, but did you
travel at the same speed? The answer depends on whether
we are talking about speed or velocity.
Speed is a measure of how fast an object is moving. It
tells us the rate at which the object covers a certain distance.
We can calculate speed by dividing the distance traveled by
the time taken. For example, if you cover 100 meters in 10
seconds, your speed is 10 meters per second (10 m/s).
The Race is On! Understanding Speed and
Velocity
However, speed doesn't tell the whole story. Imagine your
friend in the race took a slightly longer route but still reached the
finish line at the same time. In this case, you both have the same
speed, but not the same velocity.
Velocity, unlike speed, takes into account not only how fast
something is moving but also the direction of its movement. It is a
vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (speed) and
direction. In the race example, even though you and your friend
have the same speed, your velocities might be different because
your directions might not have been exactly the same.
The Race is On! Understanding Speed and
Velocity
1. What is the difference between speed and velocity?
2. How is speed calculated?
3. In the example of the bicycle race, why might the students
have different velocities even though they have the same
speed?
4. Give an example of a situation in everyday life where
knowing the velocity of an object is important.
1
A marble rolls 5.2 m in 1.8 s.
What was the marble's average
speed?
Answer: 2.9 m/s
2
A pitcher throws a baseball from the
pitcher’s mound to home plate in 0.46
s. The distance is 18.4 m. What was
the average speed of the baseball?

Answer: 40 m/s
3
Cassie walked to her friend’s house
with an average speed of 1.40 m/s. The
distance between the houses is 205 m.
How long did the trip take her?

Answer: 146 s
4
A student has a displacement of
304 m north in 180 s. What was
the student's average velocity?

Answer: 1.7 m/s North

5
Layla jogs with an average
velocity of 2.4 m/s east. What is
her displacement after 46 seconds?

Answer: 110.4 m East

6
Phillip walks along a straight path from
his house to his school. How long will it
take him to get to school if he walks 428
m west with an average velocity of 1.7
m/s west?
Answer: 251.76 s
7
A trucker drives along a straight
highway for 0.25 h with a
displacement of 16 km south. What
is the trucker’s average velocity?
Answer: 64 km/h South
8
A bird flies with an average velocity of 7.5 m/s
east from one branch to another in 2.4 s. It then
pauses before flying with an average velocity of
6.8 m/s east for 3.5 s to another branch. What is
the bird’s total displacement from its starting
point?
Answer: 41.8 m
9
A cyclist rides her bike at a constant
speed of 12 kilometers per hour
(km/h) for 30 minutes. What is the
total distance she travels?
Answer: 6 km
10
A delivery drone travels north at a
velocity of 10 meters per second
(m/s) for 20 seconds. What is the
drone's displacement?
Answer: 200 m