Velocity

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/velocity

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the SI unit?Meters per second (m/s)
2. What is velocity and how is it different from speed?Velocity tells us how fast something moves and which way it goes. Speed only tells us how fast, not the direction.
3. Why does the direction of velocity matter when cars collide?Because velocity includes direction, two cars can have the same speed but crash if they are moving toward each other. The direction tells us where the collision will happen.

Vector Quantity: A quantity that has both magnitude (size) and direction, such as velocity or force.
Scalar Quantity: A quantity that has only magnitude, such as speed, mass, or temperature.
Frame of Reference: A coordinate system or set of conditions used to measure the position, velocity, and acceleration of an object.