Speed and Velocity - What's the Difference?
Speed tells you how fast something is moving - it's the rate at which an object covers distance. Think of it like your car's speedometer showing 30 mph. Velocity is speed with a twist - it includes direction too, like "30 mph towards Manchester."
The key difference lies in whether direction matters. Speed is a scalar quantity, which means it only has magnitude (size). Velocity is a vector quantity, so it has both magnitude and direction.
Here's the difference in action: saying "the car moves at 50 m/s" describes speed, whilst "the car moves at 50 m/s east" describes velocity. That little word "east" changes everything!
Quick Tip: Remember it this way - if you need to know which way something's going, you're talking about velocity, not speed.
