Imagine you're on a road trip with friends. You drive 300 miles in 5 hours, so you say your average speed is 60 miles per hour (mph). But what does that really mean? Average speed is simply the total distance you travel divided by the total time it takes. It doesn't care about direction, just how fast you’re going overall.

Now, let’s talk about velocity. Velocity is like speed’s cooler, more sophisticated sibling. While speed only tells you how fast you're going, velocity tells you both how fast and in what direction. So if you drive 300 miles north in 5 hours, your average velocity is 60 mph north. Change direction, and your velocity changes too.

Here's a twist: Imagine you drive 150 miles north and then 150 miles south in 5 hours. Your average speed is still 60 mph (300 miles divided by 5 hours), but your average velocity is zero. Why? Because you end up where you started, and displacement (change in position) is zero.

Understanding the difference between speed and velocity helps in everything from sports to physics. Whether you’re sprinting in a race or calculating the trajectory of a rocket, knowing where you’re headed and how fast makes all the difference. So next time you're on the move, remember: speed tells you how fast, but velocity tells the whole story.


More Lessons: http://www.MathAndScience.com
Twitter:   / jasongibsonmath