Speed or Velocity? Speed is the rate of motion, or the rate of change of position.

It is expressed as distance moved (d) per unit of time(t). Speed is a scalar quantity with dimensions distance/time. Speed is measured in the same physical units of measurement as velocity, but does not contain an element of direction. Speed is thus the magnitude component of velocity. Velocity contains both the magnitude and direction components. Common speeds of moving objects For human beings, an average walking speed is about 3 mph (~5 km/h, 1.39m/s), The speed of long distance jogging for average persons is about 6 mph (~10 km/h, 2.7 m/s). Top athletic sprinters can run at 23.03 mph (~36.85 km/h, 10.24 m/s) within a short distance such as a 200 meters dash. Cycling can average 12 mph (~20 km/h, 5.56 m/s) Car can average 65 mph (~104 km/h, 28.9 m/s ) on highway A 747 Airplane has an average speed 565 mi/hr Acceleration Acceleration, (symbol: a) is defined as the rate of change of velocity. It is thus a vector quantity with dimension length/time. In SI units, acceleration is measured in meters/second. To accelerate an object is to change its velocity, which is accomplished by altering either its speed or direction (like in case of uniform circular motion) in relation to time. Acceleration can have positive and negative values. Any time that the sign (+ or -) of the acceleration is the same as the sign of the velocity, the object will speed up. If the signs are opposite, the object will slow down. Acceleration is a vector quantity. When either velocity or direction changes, there is acceleration (or deceleration). To accelerate an object requires the application of a force. deceleration

noun (countable and uncountable; plural decelerations)

1. (uncountable) The act or process of decelerate, decelerating.

The rocket is now in deceleration.

1. (countable) The amount by which a speed or velocity decreases (and so a scalar quantity or a vector quantity).

The brakes produce a deceleration of 10 metres per second per second.

Distance and Displacement Distance and displacement are two quantities that may seem to mean the same thing yet have distinctly different definitions and meanings.

Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to "how much ground

an object has covered" during its motion.

Displacement is a vector quantity that refers to "how far out

of place an object is"; it is the object's overall change in position. To test your understanding of this distinction, consider the motion depicted in the diagram below. A physics teacher walks 4 meters East, 2 meters South, 4 meters West, and finally 2 meters North.

Even though the physics teacher has walked a total distance of 12 meters, her displacement is 0 meters. During the course of her motion, she has "covered 12 meters of ground" (distance = 12 m). Yet when she is finished walking, she is not "out of place" - i.e., there is no displacement for her motion (displacement = 0 m). Displacement, being a vector quantity, must give attention to direction. The 4 meters east cancels the 4 meters west; and the 2 meters southcancels the 2 meters north. Vector quantities such as displacement are direction aware. Scalar quantities such as distance are ignorant of direction. In determining the overall distance traveled by the physics teachers, the various directions of motion can be ignored.

Now consider another example. The diagram below shows the position of a cross-country skier at various times. At each of the indicated times, the skier turns around and reverses the direction of travel. In other words, the skier moves from A to B to C to D.

uniform motion: movement at a constant speed in a straight line non-uniform motion: movement that involves a change in speed or direction or both.

2 conditions for uniform motion: a) constant speed; b) constant direction (no turning). If either of these conditions isn't there, then the motion is "non-uniform" or "accelerated". Examples of uniform motion: a car in a drag race reaching and maintaining its maximum speed on a straight and flat race course; a space craft drifting between two galaxies; (very few real-life examples). Examples of non-uniform motion: a racing horse; merry-go-around; swing; automotive braking; throwing a softball; etc.