Friday, September 22, 2017

meaning - Speed vs Velocity


What is the difference between speed and velocity ?


The context is Physics



Answer



Let's start with dictionary definitions:



speed: the rate at which someone or something moves
velocity [physics]: the speed that something moves at in one direction



So, as you can see, in physics, velocity is "speed" and the direction (of something that moves).



Or in an example used by Wikipedia, "Velocity is equivalent to a specification of its speed and direction of motion, e.g. 60 km/h to the north": "60 km/h" is a speed; "60 km/h to the north" is a velocity.


(Because this is an English site, I will not go much into physics. Things could get tricky if we talk about velocity in one-dimension, average vs. instantaneous velocity, angular velocity, and so on.)




That's pretty much about it. However, note that this difference is probably only meaningful in the context of physics, as note in an article by WIRED (with useful illustrations):



But what is the difference? If you ask any person on the street, they might say there is no difference. In non-physics use, they would be correct. However, in physics we have very specific definitions for these terms. Surprisingly, not all textbooks agree on the definition of speed.
(emphasis mine)



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