Velocity

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Velocity or speed is the distance that an object moves in a certain amount of time. It is a measure of how fast something is moving.

velocity = \frac{distance}{time} or, shorter: v = \frac{s}{t}

In physics, velocity is a vector quantity, meaning that it not only indicates speed, but also the direction of movement.

  • 1 statute mile ÷ 1 minute = 60 miles per hour
  • 40,000 kilometres ÷ 80 days = 20.83 kilometres per hour
  • 2,551 nautical miles ÷ 6hr06min = 418 knots

The current understanding of physics holds that c, the speed of light through a vacuum (about 300 million meters per second), is the highest limit of velocity for anything that can be touched. In other words, this means nothing can go faster than the speed of light.