Difference Between Speed and Velocity

 Difference Between Speed and Velocity

Difference between speed and velocity is one of the most interesting topics in Physics and very common question asked in board exams and competitive entrance exams. But when it comes to Mathematics and Physics, the two terms are completely different from each other. The difference between speed and velocity is provided here so that students can understand the concepts of speed and velocity in a better way.

Velocity	Speed
Velocity can be defined as the rate at which an object changes position in a certain direction.	The rate at which an object covers a certain distance is known as speed.
Vector quantity	Scalar quantity
Velocity can be zero, negative, or positive.	Speed can never be negative or zero.
The velocity of the object changes with the change in direction, therefore the object must follow one direction.	The average speed will continue to count even if the object changes direction.
An object may possess different velocities but the same speed.	Speed may or may not be equal to velocity.
Velocity is measured in m/s	Speed is measured in m/s
= ∆x/∆t; where is the average velocity, ‘∆t’ is the time of arrival and ‘∆x’ is the displacement.	v = d/t; where ‘v’ is the average speed, ‘t’ is time taken to travel the distance and ‘d’ is the distance travelled.
A train going towards the south direction with an average speed of 50 km/h will have a velocity of 50 km/h, north. An object going straight in a particular direction is considered to have velocity.	A sports bike travelling at 50 m/s would go from 0 m/s to 30 m/s, before reaching 50 m/s and could even reach 70 m/s. However, the average speed will be the speed of the bike.