Speed and Velocity

Vectors

Despicable Me

Vectors are arrows.

A vector always has a magnitude (size)
and a direction.
Magnitude the size or measurement
of something.
In Physics, we use vectors (arrows) to
show the movement of objects and
forces acting on objects.

 Displacement is one kind of vector.

Displacement always has a magnitude
(size) and a direction.
Why is distance NOT a vector?

Which vector has the greater magnitude?

N
Using a ruler, find the magnitude of each vector.
State its direction as well.
Example
2.5cm north

6.4 cm
northeast

2.4 cm
southwest

E
S
2.4 cm
east

2.3 cm south
0.9 cm northwest

Speed and Velocity

video

Speed is a measurement of the distance

traveled in a unit of time.
Average Speed - The speed of most
objects changes over a given period of
time. The average speed is the total
distance divided by the total time.

VELOCITY
Velocity is the speed of an object along
with the direction it is moving.
Velocity is a vector.
A change in velocity can be because of a
change in speed, direction, or both.
Constant speed occurs when the speed
of the object does not change.

Speed and Velocity Formula

speed =

distance
time

D
S

I promise the following: I will always

write out the formula and place the
numbers in the formula for every
problem. I understand that I must
always write the units for every answer.

SPEED
Example 1: A marble rolls 6 cm in 2 seconds. Calculate the speed.

D
S

D
S=
T
6cm
=
2s
= 3cm/s

DISTANCE

Example 2: A bird flies at a speed of 2 km per hour

for 3 hours. How far did the bird fly?

D=SxT
D
S

D=

2km
hr

6km

3 hr

Example 3: A car travels 300km at a

speed of 100 km/hr. How long did it
take for the car to complete the trip?

D
S

TIME

D
T=
S
300 km
=
100km/hr
= 3 hrs

VELOCITY

Example 4: A roller coaster travels as shown. Calculate the average

velocity. Draw a vector to show the direction.
time = 5 seconds
100m track

100m 20m/s
D
=
=
V=
5s
T

Example 5: Calculate the velocity of a train

heading east if it travels 500 km in 5 hours.

500km 100km/hr east

D
=
=
V=
5 hrs
T

Slope
The steepness or slant of a line is its slope.
The slope of a position vs. time graph is the
speed.
slope = speed

 The steeper the slope, the faster the object is

moving.
The more shallow the slope, the slower the
object is moving.
A flat slope means the object is not moving
because the position is not changing.

Stopped

position (m)

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

2 3 4 5 6 7 8
time (s)

Slow

position (m)

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

2 3 4 5 6 7 8
time (s)

Fast

position (m)

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

2 3 4 5 6 7 8
time (s)

Fastest

position (m)

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
0

2 3 4 5 6 7 8
time (s)

 Find the slopes of each graph above.

Remember that the formula is

slope =

rise
run

GRAPHING
Graphs of time and position (distance) are
often used to show an object is moving.

End

Use a ruler to draw the displacement vectors on the

map. The first one has been drawn for you. Draw a
vector from 1 to 2, etc.
0
2

3
4

Use a ruler to draw the displacement vectors on the

map. The first one has been done for you. Draw a
vector from 1 to 2, etc.
0
2

3
4

Movement

Distance
(blocks)

Displacement (cm) RULER! Give

direction (use compass)

0 to 1

10

8.2

1 to 2

6.85

2 to 3

3.8

3 to 4

13

1.2

4 to 5

4.2