What is Velocity? - Full Concept of Velocity - Physics | Infinity Learn

The standard SI unit for velocity is 'meters per second' (m/s). This universal system helps avoid confusion with various local units of measurement, even though familiar units like miles per hour or kilometers per hour are used in everyday contexts like cars.

Speed is defined as the distance covered in a given amount of time. It only provides the magnitude (e.g., 50 meters per second) and does not specify direction, making it a scalar quantity. An example demonstrates how knowing only speed leaves the final position ambiguous.

Velocity is introduced as speed with direction. Unlike speed, velocity tells us both how fast an object is moving and in what direction. For example, traveling 'NORTH at 50 meters per second' allows for the determination of the final position, making velocity a vector quantity.

The video clarifies the distinction between average speed and average velocity. Average speed is calculated as total distance over total time. Average velocity, however, depends on displacement (distance with direction) over time, irrespective of the path taken. An example demonstrates a journey where average speed and average velocity yields different results due to consideration of displacement.

A Formula 1 race car example illustrates a scenario where a driver completes a race, finishing at the same point they started. Despite covering a significant distance, their displacement is zero, resulting in an average velocity of zero meters per second. This further reinforces the importance of displacement in determining average velocity.