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Instantenous Velocity
Key point
- Instantaneous velocity is the velocity of an object at an instance of time
In uniform motion the velocity is constant. In non-uniform motion the velocity is non-constant.
- The instantaneous velocity – the velocity at any instance of time – is different than average velocity.
- Instantaneous velocity is a vector quantity
- The magnitude of the instantaneous velocity is the instantaneous speed.
- Instantaneous velocity is what your car’s speedometer measures.
- Instantaneous velocity is a vector quantity
- Mathematical representation of the instantaneous velocity (don’t need to know)
- Calculation of instantaneous velocity requires calculus.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How to find/calculate instantaneous velocity?
- Graphically: draw a tangent line at that point of the velocity time graph.
- The slope of the tangent line is the instantaneous velocity of the object at that point
- Mathematically: you cannot use the traditional kinematic equations.
- Requires calculus (see video above).
- Graphically: draw a tangent line at that point of the velocity time graph.
- Can instantaneous velocity be negative or zero?
- Yes! The directional properties of instantaneous velocity are the same as that of regular velocity.
- What is the difference between instantaneous velocity and instantaneous speed?
- Instantaneous speed is the absolute value of instantaneous velocity.
- Does not have direction.
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