Math Playground
Measurement

Speed & velocity

Distance ÷ time. Drag the slider, watch the speedometer climb.

Speed is how fast something covers distance. Velocity is speed PLUS direction. They're often used interchangeably in everyday talk, but in physics they're different.

Type a value, pick units
62.1372

1 km/h = 0.6214 mph

Speed

Rearranges to distance = speed × time, and time = distance ÷ speed.

Speed vs velocity

In everyday talk they're the same, but in physics speed is just how fast (a number), while velocity is speed *plus direction* (a vector). 50 km/h is a speed; 50 km/h *due north* is a velocity.

Try it

You drive 240 km in 3 hours. Average speed?

240 ÷ 3 = 80 km/h.

Your turn

At 60 km/h, how far do you travel in 90 minutes?

Speed
Try it

Drive 240 km in 3 hours. Average speed?

240 / 3 = 80 km/h.

Try it

60 km/h in m/s?

60 km/h = 60 × 1000 m / 3600 s = 16.67 m/s. (Roughly: divide km/h by 3.6.)