What is Average Velocity?

Average Velocity

Average velocity allows us to determine the relationship between time and distance. To understand the average velocity, first, we must understand what velocity is. Velocity is the term used to describe the rate of change in displacement relative to time.

What is Average Velocity? 

First, let us understand, “What is Average Velocity?”

The term “average” is simply the proportion between the number of quantities to the total numbers. Now, before understanding average velocity, let’s know what exactly velocity is, as well as what speed means and how they are interconnected.

An object’s speed is related to the shift in the position of the object in relation to time. Velocity, on the other hand, is nothing more than the speed that is defined in relation to the direction that an object moves in.

According to the definition, average velocity is the distance between point A to point B of an object, divided by the amount of time required to complete the displacement from point A up to point B. It is worth noting that we use the word “moving” or “displacement” instead of distance in order to emphasise the direction.

Average Velocity Formula

Algebraically, average velocity can be defined as the equation 

v = d/t

where the displacement is d and t is the time used to calculate the displacement.

For a brief period in time, the mean speed can be calculated using the following formula:

VA = [(y0+Δy) -y0)/Δt]

where “y0” is the location of the object when “t” occurs. 

Here (y,+Δy) is the position of an object within the direction of the object following an increase in time by Δt.

If we consider the limit as Δt-0, then it changes to dy/dt. 

The average velocity changes into instantaneous velocity in the time t.

When an object is subject to a change in its velocity at various times, the average velocity is calculated by the number of velocity changes at various times multiplied by the number of total instances.

For instance, when an object is moving at diverse velocities of v1, v2 v3…vn at times when t = t1, t2, t3, the median velocity is determined by,

VA = [v1+v2+v3……+vn]/n

Average Velocity vs. Average Speed

While average speed and velocity are both expressed in the same units, they’re different concepts altogether. Average speed takes into account the distance, while average velocity considers the displacement. A moving object from point A to B on a defined path will travel a particular distance through its length route.

Negative Average Velocity

Since the average velocity can be described as a vector number with dimensions and directions, the average velocity may become a negative number to indicate a reverse movement. A good example could be a person returning to their starting point. Someone who walks away from your home (point A) toward the store (point B) could be thought of as positive displacement. However, the one who returns home from the shop is a negative displacement.

The Magnitude of Average Velocity

Vector quantities always have an orientation and magnitude, and because we have identified the term velocity to be a vector, it has both magnitude and direction. When it is decided that the direction of an object should not be considered and the measurement that is used to calculate the average speed can be considered to be the size of its average, the most important thing to keep in mind is that when calculating one’s average velocity of an object in which velocity data are provided for various intervals of time, it is necessary to take the direction out of the equation not in the computation stage, but in the final phase.

Conclusion

It is the difference between the ending and starting positions, which we can divide by the final and initial time. In addition, velocity can be described as having directions and magnitude. The unit used for the measurement is metres per second (m/s).

The average velocity formula is:

average velocity (end position minus start position) / time (end time – initial time)

Vavg = (x2 – x1)/(t2 – t1)

Vavg refers to an average speed in metres per second

x1 refers to the beginning position of the object in metres per second

x2 refers to the position at which the object will end in metres per second

t1 is the time at which motion began in seconds

t2 means the time at which the motion is completed motion in seconds