Velocity - GCSE Physics Definition

What is velocity?

In GCSE physics, velocity is a measure of an object's speed in a given direction.

Speed is a measure of how fast an object is moving, but does not have a specified direction. It can be calculated using the equation:

Speed and velocity are both measured in metres per second (m/s). Therefore, if the direction of motion is known, the same equation can be used to calculate velocity.

The key difference between speed and velocity is:

• speed is a scalar quantity because it has magnitude only

• velocity is a vector quantity because it has a magnitude and a direction

This difference is important because it means an object may have different values of speed and velocity, for example:

• a person walking directly south at a speed of 2 m/s has a velocity of zero to the east

• an object travelling with a constant speed but changing direction has a changing velocity

Velocity revision resources to ace your exams

You can accelerate your understanding of velocity by checking out our GCSE physics resources, including expert-written revision notes and exam questions. These are tailored to your specific exam board, whether you are taking AQA, Edexcel, OCR or WJEC.

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