What is the difference between speed and velocity?
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Speed is faster.
No. An object's speed is part of its velocity. -
Velocity has to be in a specific direction.
Yes! An object's speed is measured in distance per time, such as 20 miles per hour. Its velocity must include a direction, such as north at 20 miles per hour. -
They mean the same thing.
No. The two terms have different meanings. -
Speed is a general term and velocity is a scientific term.
No. Both terms are used in science, and they mean different things.
Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.
Florida
SC.4.P.12.1 Recognize that an object in motion always changes its position and may change its direction.
| Review Force and Motion-3 | practice |
Utah
UT.3.III.2.e Show how these concepts apply to various activities (e.g., batting a ball, kicking a ball, hitting a golf ball with a golf club) in terms of force, motion, speed, direction, and distance (e.g. slow, fast, hit hard, hit soft).
| Challenge: Paper, Coin, Cup, part 1 | video |
| Versorium | video, checked |
| Obedient Coin | video, checked |
| Challenge: Paper, Coin, Cup, part 2 | video |
| Review Force and Motion-3 | practice |
NGSS
MS-PS3-1 Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object.
| Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy | video, checked |
| The Rollback Can | video, free, Updated |
| High Bounce | video, checked |
| Review Force and Motion-3 | practice |