Speed, velocity, and acceleration

Speed

•The distance an object travels per unit of time

•Speed = Distance ÷ Time (S = D ÷ T)

•Average Speed = Total Distance ÷ Total Time

Common Units for Speed

meters per second (m/s)

kilometers per hour (km/h)

miles per hour (mi/h)

feet per second (ft/s)

Examples of Speed

• A car traveled 10 meters per second

• A plane flew 300 miles per hour

• An ant moved 2 feet per minute

10 m/s

300 mi/h

2 ft/min

Velocity

•Speed in a given direction

•The speed and direction of an object’s motion

•The velocity of an object can change even if the
speed stays constant

Examples of Velocity

• A soccer ball rolling 3 meters per second East

• An owl swooping down to the ground at 10 feet

second

• A person walking 6 miles per hour North

3 m/s East

6 mi/h North

10 ft/s down

Acceleration

•The rate of change of velocity

•Includes an increase in speed, decrease in
speed, or change in direction of an object

Speeding

Up

Changing
Direction

Slowing
Down

Examples of Acceleration

• Speeding up at the start of a race

• Slowing down in a traffic jam

• A car turning around a corner

Speeding

Up

Changing
Direction

Slowing
Down

Checkpoint

• 5 checkpoint questions

• Discuss each question with a partner

• Write a complete answer to each question on

your notes page

Question 1

How are speed,

velocity, and
acceleration

related?

Question 2

What is the
difference

between speed

and velocity?

Question 3

Speed, Velocity, or Acceleration?

Driving a truck 50 miles

per hour East from
California to Florida.

Question 4

Speed, Velocity, or Acceleration?

Walking at a slower pace
after realizing you will be

early to school.

Question 5

Speed, Velocity, or Acceleration?

A turtle walking 20 feet
per minute through the

grass.