Which statement is true about velocity?

Which statement is true about velocity?

• A. It is a scalar quantity
• B. It equals distance divided by time
• C. It is always positive
• D. It is speed with direction

Answer: (D)

Velocity is a vector quantity that describes how fast something is moving and in what direction. Because it includes direction, velocity is speed with a specific direction attached to it. The magnitude of velocity is the speed, but the direction is essential, so the statement that velocity is speed with direction is the correct way to define it. If something travels at a certain speed but without a specified direction, that describes speed, not velocity. Distance over time gives speed, not velocity, which uses displacement (the straight-line change in position) over time. And velocity can be negative, depending on the chosen coordinate system, so it isn’t always positive. For example, moving east at 20 m/s has a velocity of +20 m/s east (or simply 20 m/s east); moving west with the same speed would have a negative velocity if west is taken as the negative direction.

Velocity is a vector quantity that describes how fast something is moving and in what direction. Because it includes direction, velocity is speed with a specific direction attached to it. The magnitude of velocity is the speed, but the direction is essential, so the statement that velocity is speed with direction is the correct way to define it.

If something travels at a certain speed but without a specified direction, that describes speed, not velocity. Distance over time gives speed, not velocity, which uses displacement (the straight-line change in position) over time. And velocity can be negative, depending on the chosen coordinate system, so it isn’t always positive. For example, moving east at 20 m/s has a velocity of +20 m/s east (or simply 20 m/s east); moving west with the same speed would have a negative velocity if west is taken as the negative direction.