Average Velocity Definition
In physics, the object's average velocity is defined as the ratio between total displacements by the total time taken. Or in other words, it is the rate at which an object displaces its position from one point to another. The SI unit used to measure the average velocity is meters per second. However, you can also use other distance units like kilometers per hour (km/h) or miles per hour (m/h). Moreover, it is a vector quantity having both magnitude and direction.
Table of Contents
Formula of Average Velocity
The formula used to derive average velocity is as follows:
\[\overrightarrow v \; = \;\frac{{\Delta x}}{{\Delta t}}\]
Where,
\(\overrightarrow v \) = Average velocity
∆x = Change in displacement
∆t = Change in time
Note:
If you want to calculate average velocity, you can use our Average Velocity Calculator.
Example
For a more precise understanding, let us have an example below:
Suppose a sports car covers a 1000 m distance to the north at a time of 20s, and then find out the average velocity of an object.
Given data
Displacement = 1000 m
Time = 20s
To Find
Average velocity = ?
Solution
To find out the average velocity, we will use the formula listed below:
\[\overrightarrow v \; = \;\frac{{\Delta x}}{{\Delta t}}\]
Putting values in the formula:
\(\overrightarrow v \) = 1000 / 20 = 50 m/s
