Calculating Speed vs. Velocity: Definitions and Practice

Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel

This educational video provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to the physics concepts of speed and velocity. It begins by engaging students with examples of fast-moving objects like race cars and rockets before settling into the mathematical definitions of motion. The narrator uses real-world analogies, such as a long car trip involving both highway driving and traffic jams, to distinguish between average speed and instantaneous speed. The video then introduces the crucial distinction between scalar quantities and vector quantities, explaining how distance relates to speed while displacement relates to velocity. The content covers key themes in kinematics, specifically focusing on the difference between distance (total ground covered) and displacement (straight-line distance from start to finish). It explicitly teaches the formulas for calculating average speed (Distance/Time) and average velocity (Displacement/Time). A significant portion of the video is dedicated to step-by-step worked examples where the narrator calculates both speed and velocity for the same trip, demonstrating how the results differ numerically and conceptually—most notably that velocity requires a direction. For educators, this video is an excellent resource for middle school physical science or introductory high school physics classrooms. It moves beyond simple definitions to application, providing guided practice problems that allow students to test their understanding immediately. The use of visual maps to illustrate the path of travel versus the vector of displacement helps concrete thinkers grasp abstract concepts. Teachers can use this video to introduce motion formulas, reinforce the concept of vectors, or as a flipped classroom assignment before a lab on measuring motion.