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Background: Average Speed is the distance traveled divided by an elapsed time.
For instance, if you travel 100 miles in 2 hours, your average speed would be 50 miles/hour. Here is the formula we will use:
Average Speed = Distance/Time
A water drop drips from a cliff and it takes 3 seconds to fall 30 meters. What is the water drop's average speed?
S = D/T
S = 30/3
Average Speed = 10 m/s
A boy rolls down a hill on a skateboard. At time = 4 seconds, the boy has rolled 6 meters from the top of the hill. At time = 7 seconds, the boy has rolled to a distance of 30 meters. What is his average speed?
Average Speed = Change in Distance/Change in Time
Average Speed = (30 - 6) / (7 - 4)
Average Speed = 24 / 3
Average Speed = 8 m/s
Speed vs Velocity
Speed vs Velocity
In physics, there is a diffence between speed and velocity.
In the example below, a coaster car at the same elevation will have the same speed, if we assume that energy is not lost to friction and drag.
However, the car will have different velocities, because it will be going different directions. Velocity is speed with direction.
If the directions of motion are different, the velocities are different.
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