What is velocity?

Meaning of Velocity

Velocity is a physical magnitude that denotes the relationship between the displacement or path of an object and the time it takes to make this change in position. Among its characteristics are that it has module, length and direction, since it is a vector. By means of speed, it is possible to measure how fast an object is in motion from point A to point B. Apart from the physical, this magnitude is applicable to other contexts, such as measuring the speed of downloading a file through the internet or the mental capacity of a person to react to a given stimulus.

It is a physical magnitude expressed with the relationship between the space that an object travels, the time it has taken to make it and the direction it takes.

This word implies the changes in the position of an object that is located in space, of course, with a certain amount of time , this means that the direction and the speed produced with the movement are added.

In addition to this, many definitions of the term are used, for example, the physical speed that has to do with sports and in which a speed test can be done and in other sciences where a speed formula is used.

Etymologically speaking, the term has its genesis in the Latin velocitas , whose meaning alludes to the quality of being fast or walking quickly.

history of speed

The first person to have a scientific concept of this term was Galileo Galilei and he achieved it by studying the movement of objects on a fully inclined plane, in addition, he divided the distance traveled by the object in units of time.

In this way, he determined that the word is nothing other than the variation between the distance that has been traveled by the units of time. In addition, Aristotle also has a leading role in history, since he studied all the physical phenomena of the term without adding a specific concept.

Actually, each of his explanations only managed to describe the phenomena that were inherent to the movements, but he did not use mathematics as a basis or tool, this made his theories incorrect years later. Later, in the 16th century, thanks to the discovery and development of calculus at the hands of Gottfried Leibniz and Isaac Newton , the fact of obtaining the instantaneous speed of an object or body was solved. From there, everything was determined by the derivatives of vectors in body position against time.

The executions of the calculation together with the speed, are part of the fundamental tools in engineering and physics, managing to expand in all the phenomena that encompass changes in position over time, that is, everything that has to do with movement.

speed examples

There are several examples that can be reflected in this aspect, among them, the speed of sound , however, the most relevant ones will be explained below.

Speed ​​limit

Speed ​​limits refer to the maximum and minimum values ​​set for the circulation of vehicles on certain roads or avenues.

These are chosen based on the characteristics of the road axis, in addition to the frequency with which the cars appear during the day and at night. The limits are indicated to the driver through the presence of road signs , which have basic colors such as black, white and red.

internet speed

It is about all those speeds at which the contents known as data travel, which come from the web to smartphones, tablets or computers.

This can be expressed or measured in megabits per second, that is, mbps . Each megabit has 1024 kilobits. The conversion does point out that 1.0 mbps is 1,000 times faster than 1.0 kilobits per second, i.e. kbps .

High speed internet connections are known as broadband and have download speeds of 768 kbps and upload speeds of 200 kbps.

Speed ​​races

It is the athletics test that consists of running as fast as possible a certain amount of distance. This test is the most common because they are 100 meters straight or flat.

Speed ​​of light

It is a measure set by science to refer to the distance that light travels, per unit of time . This measurement is very important for the study of the stars, since their behavior and transmission of electromagnetic radiation can be determined, as well as how the human eye can perceive light.

It is a universal constant that has values ​​of 299,792,458 m/s, however, it tends to have approximations of 3.10 m/s . Its symbol is the letter C.

The speed through a medium that does not have to do with a vacuum will always depend on the electrical permittivity, magnetic permeability and other characteristics related to electromagnetism.

This is usually lower in material media and the C is coded with the refractive index. Each vacuum modification tends to be subtle, for example, curved spaces, thermal populations, the Casimir effect and the presence of external fields, this makes the speed of light depend on the energy density that exists in that vacuum.

Frequently Asked Questions about Speed

What is speed?

It is the relationship between the movement of an object and the time it takes to execute it. 

How is speed measured?

It is measured through meter per second (m/s). 

How fast does light travel?

At 299,792.458 kilometers per second and has approximations at 3.10 m/s. 

What is the difference between velocity and speed?

Speed ​​is the distance traveled by a given body, velocity is a vector magnitude based on the time it takes for a body to move.

How is speed represented?

It is represented through arrows that show the direction and movement that the object follows and its magnitude, which represents its numerical value.

speed characteristics

Este término se representa por el símbolo

V

. Sus dimensiones son “

L

” que significa longitud y “

T

” de tiempo. Su unidad en los métodos internacionales es el

metro por segundo

donde se representa con el símbolo m/s que quiere decir metros por segundos. Pero además, dentro de las características de esta vertiente, está el hecho de ser una

magnitud vectorial

que, a su vez, es representada por la rapidez del móvil o del objeto en cuestión. La fórmula se basa en lo siguiente:



Velocidad = Distancia / Tiempo = V=D/T.


Se dice que es una magnitud vectorial porque

necesita módulo, sentido y dirección

, es capaz de tener sus unidades especiales, las cuales son expresadas en el sistema MKS como m/seg y en el CGS cómo cm/seg. Otra característica es que las unidades de la velocidad están conformadas por el cociente del tiempo y de la unidad. También es dependiente del desplazamiento.

Funciona de acuerdo a la

inercia

, esto quiere decir que la masa tiene importancia, pues mientras más masa tenga un cuerpo, más difícil será el movimiento y su aceleración.

Tipos de velocidad

Aunque para muchos existen

diversos tipos de aceleraciones

, en esta vertiente se van a colocar los más importantes en las diferentes ciencias y en el día a día.

What Does velocity Mean

From the Latin velocĭtas , speed is promptness in movement . For example: “I tried to catch up with him, but I didn't have enough speed and he escaped” , “We need a striker with higher speed” , “The offender crossed the bridge at full speed and could only be caught about ten kilometers later” .

Velocity is also a vector physical quantity that reflects the space traveled by a body in a unit of time. The meter per second (m / s) is its unit in the International System.
Average speed is the average speed over a time interval . For this, it is necessary to divide the displacement by the time it took to make it. For example, if a car took ten hours to travel a distance of 500 kilometers, its average speed was 50 kilometers per hour .

It is important to note that in all countries there are currently a number of speed limitations when it comes to driving. So much so that whoever exceeds these limits will have to face a series of consequences such as fines, work for the community and even, in very specific cases, prison sentences.
It is known as a sprint race to the athletics event that consists of running as fast as possible a certain distance. The most popular speed event is the flat or smooth 100 meters, which has the Jamaican Usain Bolt as the record man with a time of 9.67 seconds .

However, there are other speed athletics events such as those of 60, 200 or 400 meters. Competitions, all of which have managed to elevate figures of the stature of the American Maurice Greene, the Russian Irina Privalova, the North American Florence Griffith-Joyner, the German Marita Koch, the French Marie-José Perec or the American Michael Johnson. .

Speed ​​racing also takes place in motor racing ( speed motorsport ) and motorcycling ( speed motorcycling ). These are sports races in which the objective is to complete a certain number of laps of a circuit in the shortest time possible, or to turn as many laps as possible in a given time. The Formula 1 is an example of road racing.
In the case of this automobile competition, it is necessary to underline the important feats that drivers of the stature of Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Mika Häkkinen, Fernando Alonso and Alain Prost have carried out.

The speed at which they go during competitions is so high that, unfortunately, collisions or exits from the track have very serious consequences. Thus, for example, the Brazilian Ayrton Senna died during the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix as a result of the severe blow his vehicle suffered.
The speeds, finally, are the positions of the driving mechanism of a gearbox : "You have to climb this hill in first gear as it is very steep . "

In addition to all the above, we have to underline the existence of a series of expressions that we use in colloquial language and that use the term that we are dealing with now. This would be the case of the well-known verb phrase "confusing speed with bacon", which is used to refer to someone mixing aspects that have nothing to do with each other.

Go up