Topic # 5.1
GPS: 8a
Speed & Velocity
Date: _____/_____/_____
SPS8a. Students will determine relationships
among force, mass, and motion. a. Calculate
velocity and acceleration.
 Speed = the distance covered __________ by the time it took to cover that distance. Generally
thought of as how “______” or “______” something is moving.
 Velocity = speed with a ___________ component. Example:
 Saying “moving 50 miles per _____ in a _________ direction” is a velocity.
 Simply saying something is “moving at 50 miles per hour” is a ________.
 We will be dealing exclusively with ________ speed, and not _________________ speed.
 Instantaneous speed = describes how fast something is moving at one _______
_______ in time. Example: what a police officer would detect with a ______ _____.
 Average speed = ______ distance covered divided by _______ time it took to cover
that distance. Example: distance between Douglasville, GA and _________ ______,
FL, divided by the total _______ it took to get there.
 Relative speed = dependent on the __________ of the object under consideration. Example: a book sitting motionless
on the front seat of a car has a speed of _____ relative to the driver of the car, while the car is
moving at ___ miles per hour. However, to a ________ standing still on the side of the road as
this car passes by, the book would appear to be moving at ____ miles per hour.
 Speed units are ________ units. A derived unit means that there is more than one type of ______________ in the unit.
Example: a speed unit always has a _________ measurement over a time measures (miles/hour, ______/______, etc.).
 Speed units need to be _____________ for the movement under consideration. Examples:
 Kilometers/decade would not be an appropriate unit to describe the speed of an _______ ______. Meters/second
(m/s) would be more appropriate, as the distances covered in a sprint are often measured in _______, not
kilometers, and the time it takes to sprint is usually measured in _______, not decades, or even minutes.
 A slow moving _________ plate (which moves on average, a few _______ per year), would not have a
speed measured in ______/_____. Inches per year would be better _________ for this type of
movement, as the distance moved in _______ and time it took to move is quite ______.
 Note: _____ speed unit can be used to describe ______ of movement, but some are more appropriate
than others, due to the ___________ covered and the _________ it takes to cover those distances.
 Speed/Velocity equations: s = d
v=d
 speed = distance/time

velocity
=
distance/time
t
t
EXAMPLE PROBLEMS: Use the 3-step method to solve these problems.
1. What is the speed of an antelope that travels 175 meters in 0.135 minutes?
1. given info & unknown
2. appropriate equation
3. plug in and solve, box answer
2. A caterpillar covers 75 cm in 150 seconds. What speed did this caterpillar have while moving?
3. A bus travels from Atlanta to New York City (a distance of 900 miles) in 12 hours. What is the velocity of the bus?
Topic # 1.5
GPS: 8a
Date: _____/_____/_____
Speed & Velocity
 Speed = the distance covered divided by the time it took to cover that distance. Generally thought of as how “fast” or
“slow” something is moving.
 Velocity = speed with a directional component. Example:
 Saying “moving 50 miles per hour in a westerly direction” is a velocity.
 Simply saying something is “moving at 50 miles per hour” is a speed.
 We will be dealing exclusively with average speed, and not instantaneous speed.
 Instantaneous speed = describes how fast something is moving at one given point in time.
Example: what a police officer would detect with a radar gun.
 Average speed = total distance covered divided by total time it took to cover that distance.
Example: distance between Douglasville, GA and Panama City, FL, divided by the total time it
took to get there.
 Relative speed = dependent on the surroundings of the object under consideration. Example: a book sitting motionless
on the front seat of a car has a speed of zero relative to the driver of the car, while the car is
moving at 60 miles per hour. However, to a person standing still on the side of the road as this
car passes by, the book would appear to be moving at 60 miles per hour.
 Speed units are derived units. A derived unit means that there is more than one type of measurement in the unit.
Example: a speed unit always has a distance measurement over a time measures (miles/hour, meters/second, etc.).
 Speed units need to be appropriate for the movement under consideration. Examples:
 Kilometers/decade would not be an appropriate unit to describe the speed of an Olympic sprinter. Meters/second
(m/s) would be more appropriate, as the distances covered in a sprint are often measured in meters, not
kilometers, and the time it takes to sprint is usually measured in seconds, not decades, or even minutes.
 A slow moving tectonic plate (which moves on average, a few inches per year), would not have a
speed measured in miles/hour. Inches per year would be better suited for this type of movement, as
the distance moved in small and time it took to move is quite large.
 Note: any speed unit can be used to describe rates of movement, but some are more appropriate than
others, due to the distances covered and the time it takes to cover those distances.
 Speed/Velocity equations:
 speed = distance/time
(s = d/t)
 velocity = distance/time
(v = d/t)
 distance = speed × time (d = s × t)
 distance = velocity × time
(d = v × t)
 time = distance/speed
(t = d/s)
 time = distance/ velocity
(t = d/v)
EXAMPLE PROBLEMS:
4. What is the speed of an antelope that travels 175 meters in 0.135 minutes?
5. A caterpillar can move approximately 0.54 meters per minute. What distance can the caterpillar cover in 13 minutes?
6. How much time would it take for a bus to reach its destination if it traveled at an average speed of 76 kilometers/hour for
a distance of 1,375 kilometers?