Average velocity and average speed are two different quantities. This video is a detailed explanation of these two quantities and will make it simple to calculate average speed and average velocity easily.
What are Average Velocity and Average Speed?
Average speed and average velocity are distinguished by the quantity that is being taken into consideration. In simple words, the average speed is the rate at which an object travels and is expressed as the total distance divided by the total time. Average velocity can be defined as the total displacement divided by the total time.
The formula for Average Speed:
Average Speed = (Total Distance/ Total Time)
The formula for Average Velocity:
Average Velocity = (Displacement/ Total Time)
Difference Between Average Speed and Average Velocity:
The main difference between these two quantities is that average velocity is a vector quantity and has both magnitude and direction. On the contrary, the average speed is a scalar quantity and has only magnitude.
It should be also noted that average speed is always greater than or equal to average velocity since displacement is always smaller than or equal to distance.
In this video, the concepts of speed and velocity are explained using an example. Also, get to know more about the fundamentals of velocity and speed in a detailed way with several examples in this article-
