Velocity Calculator

What is Velocity?

By definition, the time rate of change of displacement is called velocity. Velocity is a vector quantity. It is defined completely by magnitude and direction. The dimension of velocity is \([ LT^{-1}]\)

Velocity Unit:

As the formula for speed and velocity are almost the same, units of velocity and speed are also the same.

Velocity Formula:

Speed is also known as the magnitude of velocity. It is because direction itself does not has any unit and It does not affect the unit of velocity. This is why velocity and speed have common units. Velocity is represented by small bold v (v). The velocity equation is

\(\text{Velocity } = \dfrac{\text{displacement }}{ \text{Time }}\)

\(\text{V} = \dfrac{\text{d}}{ \text{t}}\)

Types of velocity:

Velocity has many types. These are some types that we see in our normal life.

Average velocity:

When a body moves with constantly changing velocity then average velocity is used to give an idea of overall velocity. It is possible that the body has not acquired the exact calculated value of the average velocity at any point of the motion.

Consider a body travels a distance d in time t then the average velocity of the body is given by the formula

\(V_{av} = \dfrac{d}{t}\) 

Where:

• V_av- is the average velocity
• d- is displacement
• t- is time.

Instantaneous velocity:

If we bring F close to D by making ∆t smaller and smaller, ∆d will also become smaller relatively and a point a will reach when ∆t will become almost zero but will not completely disappear. Velocity at this particular instant is called instantaneous velocity.

Instantaneous velocity is expressed in mathematical form as

\(V_{ins} = \lim_{{\Delta t \to 0}}  \Big(\dfrac{\Delta d}{\Delta t}\Big)\)

Linear velocity:

When a body is moving along a straight path, the velocity of the body is linear.

Angular velocity:

when a body is moving in a circle, it’s moving with angular velocity and it is directed towards the center of the circle.

Real-life velocity examples:

We use the concept of velocity in daily life a lot. Following are some examples.

• When one is driving a car from the office back home. There must be some speed (magnitude of velocity) with which the car is being driven and of course a direction also. Let the car be moving at 140kmh^-1 in the south. Speed and velocity both are 140kmh^-1. Now if one reverses the car after stopping for a while at a speed of 20kmh^-1, the velocity will be -20kmh^-1.

• The minute hand of a watch moves with a velocity of 0.0017 rads^-1.
   
• Satellites are sent into an orbit around the earth while keeping in view escape velocity (11.2 Kms^-1).
   
• A ball thrown upward goes up with a decreasing velocity while comes back with increasing velocity. The average velocity is zero.
   
• In the world of cricket, a Bowler always has a bowling speed or velocity with which it bowls the ball. For example, the bowling speed of Wahab Riaz, a Pakistani bowler, is 144.8kmh^-1.