20.2.11

Questions 1

Q.  What is the difference between speed and velocity?

A.  Speed is a change in distance divided by a change in time.  Velocity is a special type of speed, it is speed in a particular (straight line) direction.  Speed is represented by a single number.  Velocity is described with two terms, a number (the speed), and the direction the body is moving.  Velocity is typically described with a vector (drawn as an arrow), the length of the arrow represents the speed of the body, and the arrow points in the direction the body is moving at that instant.