Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 1: Problem 9

What is the distinction between speed and velocity? Describe a situation in which an object's speed is constant but its velocity is not.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Question: Explain the difference between speed and velocity and provide a situation in which an object has constant speed but its velocity is changing. Answer: Speed is a scalar quantity representing the rate at which an object covers distance, having only magnitude and no direction. Velocity is a vector quantity representing the displacement of an object per unit time, considering both magnitude and direction. A situation in which an object has constant speed but changing velocity is a car moving in a circular path with constant speed, as its direction continuously changes, causing its velocity vector to change too.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding Speed and Velocity

Speed is a scalar quantity that represents the rate at which an object covers distance in any direction. It is calculated as the distance traveled divided by the time taken to travel that distance. Speed has only magnitude but no direction. On the other hand, velocity is a vector quantity that represents the displacement of an object per unit time, taking both magnitude and direction into consideration. Mathematically, speed is given by the formula: speed = distance / time Velocity is given by the formula: velocity = displacement / time Despite being related, speed and velocity are not the same because velocity takes direction into account, while speed does not.
02

Example Situation

Consider a car moving in a circular path with a constant speed. In this situation, the car's speed is constant because it is covering an equal distance in equal intervals of time. However, its velocity is constantly changing due to the change in direction as it moves along the circular path. Since the direction of the car is changing at every point on the circle, the direction of its velocity vector keeps changing too. A change in the direction of the velocity vector signifies that the object's velocity is not constant, even though its speed remains the same.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Using concepts and physical quantities discussed in this chapter, explain why it is usually safe for a person standing on the seat of a chair to jump horizontally and land on the floor, but not for a person standing on the roof of a tall building to jump horizontally and land on the ground.

As a stop light changes from red to green, a car starts to cross through the intersection. An instant before it begins to move, its velocity is zero. Must its acceleration at that time also be zero. Why or why not? Explain.

Can the resultant of two velocities have zero magnitude? If so, give an example.

Describe two major discoveries or contributions that Galileo made to science and the study of mechanics.

What are the "basic" or "fundamental" physical quantities? Why are they called that?
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Physics Textbooks

Particle Model of Matter

Read Explanation

Waves Physics

Read Explanation

Fields in Physics

Read Explanation

Electrostatics

Read Explanation

Translational Dynamics

Read Explanation

Nuclear Physics

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free