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Velocity
Speed and direction of a motion / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about velocity in physics. For other uses, see Velocity (disambiguation).
Velocity is the speed in combination with the direction of motion of an object. Velocity is a fundamental concept in kinematics, the branch of classical mechanics that describes the motion of bodies.
Quick Facts Common symbols, Other units ...
Velocity | |
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![]() As a change of direction occurs while the racing cars turn on the curved track, their velocity is not constant even if their speed is. | |
Common symbols | v, v, v→, v |
Other units | mph, ft/s |
In SI base units | m/s |
Dimension | L T−1 |
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Velocity is a physical vector quantity: both magnitude and direction are needed to define it. The scalar absolute value (magnitude) of velocity is called speed, being a coherent derived unit whose quantity is measured in the SI (metric system) as metres per second (m/s or m⋅s−1). For example, "5 metres per second" is a scalar, whereas "5 metres per second east" is a vector. If there is a change in speed, direction or both, then the object is said to be undergoing an acceleration.