How to Calculate Velocity Using the v = S/T Formula
Velocity is a vector quantity, meaning it includes both magnitude (speed) and direction. Examples of velocity include the speed of a car moving down the road or a rocket traveling into space.
The magnitude of velocity is shown on a position-versus-time graph as the slope of the line. The direction of velocity is shown as a arrow from left to right.
Definition
Velocity is the amount of change in an object’s position divided by the time it takes to travel that distance. It is a vector quantity, meaning it requires both magnitude (speed) and direction.
Displacement is the actual distance the object has traveled from its starting point. The instantaneous velocity of an object is the displacement divided by the time, or v = S/T. This formula is also used to calculate average velocity, which is the average speed over a given length of time.
If you know the initial velocity and constant acceleration of an object, then you can find its position and velocity at any point in time by integrating: v(t) = v(0) + a(t). This formula is particularly useful for solving problems related to transportation, such as worktimetables or train schedules. It can also be used to determine escape velocity, which is the minimum speed required to overcome the gravitational pull of a planet or other massive body.
Formula
Velocity is a vector quantity that measures the direction and speed of motion. It is calculated as the derivative of displacement with respect to time and measured in metres per second (m/s). In linear motion, there are two types of velocity: instantaneous velocity and average velocity.
The instantaneous velocity is the slope of the position function v(t) versus time. This can be determined on a graph by plotting the points x(t) and v(t). The slope of the tangent line at the point ti is the instantaneous velocity.
To find the average velocity of an object, you divide the displacement divided by the change in time. The magnitude of the average speed must be greater than or equal to the magnitude of the displacement. This is different from the average speed of a line that has changed direction, which depends on the magnitude of the displacement and not the direction.
Units
Velocity is a vector quantity meaning it has direction and is derived from displacement divided by time. Its unit is meter per second (m/s).
Speed is a scalar quantity which only gives the rate of movement and not the direction. For example, a train traveling at 50 kilometers per hour has the same speed whether it is traveling north or south.
Another important difference between the two is that velocity is a ratio between an object’s change in position and its change in time. This makes it different from distance which is a measure of the change in position without any reference to time.
The Initial Velocity is the velocity an object had when it started to move. This is usually represented by the symbol v0. The Final Velocity is the velocity an object has at the end of its motion. This is usually represented by the symbol fv. It can be determined by dividing the total distance traveled by the total amount of time it took to travel that distance.
Examples
The formula v = s/t gives you velocity as a function of displacement and time. Displacement is the distance the object has traveled from its starting point, and time is the amount of time it has taken to travel that distance.
The difference between speed and velocity is that velocity includes direction while speed does not. For example, an object moving in a circle has constant speed but changes direction in the process. This makes it difficult to determine its average speed because it doesn’t stay the same for long periods of time.
If you drop a book from the top of your dorm building, it has an initial velocity when it leaves your hand and accelerates downward until it reaches its final velocity. This is called non-uniform acceleration. The initial velocity can be determined by using the equation v(t) = (d + s)/t. The sign of v(t) will indicate its direction, either positive or negative.