What is Speed?

Speed= Distance / Time

• Speed of a body is defined as the distance covered by the body per unit time.
• It determines how fast an object is moving.
• It is the rate of change in distance with respect to time.
• Its SI unit is meter per second (ms^-1).
• It is a scalar quantity i.e., it has only magnitude.
• It is positive and non-zero number.

Example

Suppose a truck travels a distance of 300 kilometers in 5 hours. To calculate the speed, use the formula: Speed= Distance / Time

Speed= 300 / 5=60 km/h

Therefore, the truck’s speed is 60 km/h. This value demonstrates the rate at which the car is covering the distance, regardless of the direction.

Types of Speed

The different types of speed are mentioned below:

• Average speed: The ratio of total distance covered by the body to total time is called average speed.
• Relative speed: The speed calculated between two body with respect to each other is called as relative speed.
• Instantaneous speed: The speed of a body at any instant is called instantaneous speed.
• Tangential speed: The speed of the body while moving in a circular path is called tangential speed.
• Rotational speed: The number of rotations of a body per unit time is called rotational speed.

This article is about the difference between speed and velocity. Speed is the rate of change of distance according to time. It is scalar quantity i.e. speed has magnitude but no direction. Velocity is the rate of change of displacement according to time. It is vector quantity i.e. velocity has both magnitude and direction. Speed is the ratio of distance to time and velocity is the ratio of displacement to time. Speed magnitude is a non-zero positive number while velocity magnitude can be positive, negative, or zero.