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Motion: Distance, Speed and Velocity

⚡ Physics 📋 SS1 📅 First Term ⏱ ~20 min 📝 5 quiz questions
📖 Content 📝 Quiz (5)

Scalars and Vectors

  • Scalar quantity: has magnitude only (e.g. distance, speed, mass, time, temperature)
  • Vector quantity: has both magnitude and direction (e.g. displacement, velocity, acceleration, force)

Distance vs Displacement

Distance: total path length travelled (scalar)
Displacement: straight-line distance from start to finish, with direction (vector)

Speed vs Velocity

Speed = Distance ÷ Time   |   Velocity = Displacement ÷ Time

Speed is a scalar; velocity is a vector (it includes direction).

Units

Speed/Velocity: metres per second (m/s) or km/h
Conversion: 1 m/s = 3.6 km/h

Worked Example

A car travels 120 km in 2 hours.
Speed = 120 ÷ 2 = 60 km/h

Acceleration

Acceleration = (Final velocity − Initial velocity) ÷ Time
a = (v − u) / t

Unit: m/s² (metres per second squared)

A positive acceleration means speeding up; negative acceleration (deceleration) means slowing down.

📝 Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Answer all 5 questions, then click Submit to see your result.

Question 1 of 5
Which of these is a vector quantity?
Velocity has both magnitude and direction, making it a vector. Speed has magnitude only (scalar).
Question 2 of 5
A student walks 200 m in 40 seconds. What is her speed?
Speed = Distance ÷ Time = 200 ÷ 40 = 5 m/s.
Question 3 of 5
What is the unit of acceleration?
Acceleration is measured in metres per second squared (m/s²).
Question 4 of 5
A car accelerates from 10 m/s to 30 m/s in 5 seconds. What is the acceleration?
a = (v−u)/t = (30−10)/5 = 20/5 = 4 m/s².
Question 5 of 5
What does deceleration mean?
Deceleration is a negative acceleration — the object is slowing down.
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