Velocity

What is Velocity?

Speed combined with a direction, making it a vector rather than a plain number. Two cars traveling at the same speed but opposite directions have identical speeds but opposite values of this.

The five clues

Engineerdle #73 described Velocity with five clues, revealed one at a time from hardest to most direct. Each clue points at a different property of the concept.

1. 01A quantity that includes information a simple speedometer reading leaves out entirely.
2. 02It's speed with a direction attached, making it a vector rather than just a number.
3. 03Two cars going the same speed in opposite directions have different values of this.
4. 04It's the rate of change of position with respect to time.
5. 05Speed in a specific direction — how fast something is moving and which way.

More Dynamics concepts

• Coefficient of FrictionPuzzle #21
• Center of MassPuzzle #16
• Newton's Third LawPuzzle #2