Both velocity and acceleration are the vital concepts of the physics. But, to understand both these concepts with greater clarity, you need to know the motion, speed, displacement before to move forward.
Meaning and examples of motion
In short, being in a continuous displacement or movement under the external force is termed as motion. Or, motion is the movement of the given object or body due to force applied on it.
If you push the pedal of your cycle, then, the cycle will experience motion or move from the point of application.
Or, if you kick a football in the ground, the football is said to have undergone a motion thereafter. Rotational, oscillatory, linear, circular are the types of motions we observe and experience.
A. Understanding Distance and displacement
Suppose, if an object is in motion under the external force or influence, and it is covered a certain ground thereafter without any specific direction, it is labelled as distance.
But, if the given object has traversed shortest or minimum distance between two points with direction, it is known as displacement.
For your understanding, distance is a scalar quantity because of one-dimensional, while displacement is called vector due to two-dimensional object — magnitude and direction.
SI unit of distance and displacement is meter(m) but distance is scalar and displacement is vector quantity.
Examples of distance and displacement
For example, if you are going to visit your relative who is 200km from your location, you will go either by bus or train.
But, at any way, you hardly travel in the straight line due to geographical barriers. Hence, you have to follow the natural way it may be slightly zigzag.
Here, you may travel more distance than what is actually if we draw straight line between two points.
In this case, the all the ground covered by you in the process of journey without any specific direction is termed as distance.
But, the actual or shortest possible distance between two points you are traveling with direction is termed as displacement.
B. Explanation of Speed and velocity meaning and difference
How much distance traveled by an object in a given time is termed as the speed of the object. Speed is the scalar quantity as it does not need to mention direction.
But, if you want to determine the direction of a moving body, it is called velocity.
In simply words, if you consider the speed of moving object or displacement along direction, the given results will be velocity.
Speed is all about the distance covered by an object in the given time irrespective of direction. So, velocity is a vector quantity while speed is the scalar.
Speed is a scalar quantity and it’s SI unit is m/s or meter per second.
C. Understanding Velocity and acceleration relations
As I explained earlier that if an object is moving with a speed in the specific direction in the given time is termed as velocity.
And when the velocity of an object changes in time unit, the rate of change of velocity is known as acceleration. Simply, how much velocity as per time unit changes and the rate of change of velocity is acceleration.
In other words, velocity is a rate of change of displacement in time unit while acceleration is the rate of change of velocity in given time.
Besides, acceleration can’t be zero but velocity can. Both can negative or positive.
SI unit of velocity is m/s, and m/s square is for acceleration. Velocity and acceleration are vector quantity.
Short summary of Velocity and acceleration
Velocity and acceleration are well known physical terms. But to understand them properly we must understand the basic terms like motion, distance, displacement etc.
When an object covers certain length of a path continuously then it is said that object is in motion.
If covered length of path heaving a certain direction then it is called as velocity. If not it is nothing but speed. Do speed is a scalar quantity whereas velocity is a vector quantity.
Velocity is displacement of an object with respect to time whereas acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
It means how much change occurred in velocity in a given time is called as acceleration.
Solved Questions on velocity and acceleration
Q.1.What are the terms motion, distance, displacement.
These all are seem alike but slightly different from one another. They all are segment of length of path of an object.
Motion is a state of an object when object covers certain length of path continuously. Distance is that covered length without fixed direction.
On the other hand displacement is the distance which having direction. Simply motion is a state of an object whereas distance and displacement are nothing but the measured lengths of any path. Earlier is scalar whereas, later on is vector physical quantity.
Q.2.What is the difference between velocity and acceleration?
Velocity is displacement of an object in a given time whereas acceleration is change in velocity with respect to time. Velocity is measured in m/s and acceleration I m/s2. Both are vector quantities.
Q.3. What is mean by scalar or vector quantity? Which types of quantities are velocity and acceleration?
Every physical quantity always has at least one aspect that is magnitude or value of that quantity. But sometimes it has direction too.
Such quantities which having both magnitude as well as direction are known as vector quantity. Scalar quantity has only magnitude and not direction.
Velocity and acceleration both have magnitude as well as direction. So these both are vector quantities.
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