We explain what speed is and some characteristics of this scalar magnitude. Also, a practical example about speed.
What is speed?
The speed is the variation of distance in a certain time as a result of the movement of a moving element. The term “mobile”, in this case, can range from a machine (such as a car) to a particle such as an electron or any other body capable of moving in space.
The speed It is a scalar magnitude and not vector unlike speed. This means that it has a value and a unit, but not an address. Speed is, in short, the absolute value of speed.
For example, If we say that a bus moves along an avenue with a speed of 82 km/h, we know that the value of the speed is 82 and its unit is km/h (kilometers per hour), but we do not know in which direction it moves. That is, once a certain time has passed we will know how far it traveled, or conversely, how long it took to travel a certain distance, but we will not know where it is located in space.
Despite the term is expressed as distance/time this does not mean that during the time interval studied, the mobile phone has moved with the same speed. That magnitude could have varied infinitely but the average of the magnitudes is the one of interest.
See also: Acceleration
