Velocity (Edexcel GCSE Physics): Revision Note

Velocity

• The velocity of a moving object is similar to its speed, except it also describes the object’s direction

  • The speed of an object only contains a magnitude - it’s a scalar quantity

  • The velocity of an object contains both magnitude and direction, e.g. ‘15 m/s south’ or ‘250 mph on a bearing of 030°’

• Velocity is therefore a vector quantity because it describes both magnitude and direction

The cars in the diagram above have the same speed (a scalar quantity) but different velocities (a vector quantity). Fear not, they are in different lanes!