What Is Speed

∟What Is Speed

This section provides a quick introduction of speed, which is a derived property of a moving object by calculating the distance the object has moved within a single unit of time.

What Is Speed? Speed is a derived property of a moving object by calculating the distance the object has moved within a single unit of time.

The speed of a moving object can be expressed as a formula: v = d/t, where v represents the speed, d represents the distance the object has moved, and t represents the duration of time. The standard units of measure used in this formula are:

v (speed): meter per second (m/s)
d (distance): meter (m)
t (time): second (s)

For example, to calculate the speed of a running athlete, we can use the following process:

Mark the starting location as A and the ending location as B.
Set the x-axis coordinate along the track with the origin point at A.
Record the time from a clock as t1 (0 s) when the athlete pass the location A.
Record the time from the same clock as t2 (5 s) when the athlete pass the location B.
Take the coordinate of A as d1 (0 m).
Take the coordinate of B as d1 (50 m).
Calculate the distance between A and B: d = d2 - d1 = 50 m.
Calculate the duration used by the athlete: t = t2 - t1 = 5 s.
Calculate the speed of the athlete: v = d/t = 10 m/s.