How to Solve for Velocity in Physics

Velocity, acceleration and motion are some of the very basic physics topics first year physics students will see. Some of these concepts and formulas are based on things we do every day. So, let the mystery be gone, because today you will learn how to solve for velocity in physics in just a few simple steps. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

1. Use the velocity formula to determine the distance covered (or displacement, the distance as the crow flies) over a certain period of time.

2. Determine the starting position and the final position to calculate velocity. You will also need the initial time and the final time.

3. Understand that average velocity calculates the actual distance between two points regardless of what path, circling around or any off-path diversions that were taken to get there. Then that distance is divided by the time it takes to get there to calculate the average velocity of that trip.

4. Employ the equation: "v = [x (final) - x (initial)]/t (final) - t (initial)]" where v equals velocity, x equals position and t equals time. You need to calculate the change in distance over the change in time to get the average velocity. For example, miles per hour. The information you're actually given is two coordinates: (time initial, position initial) and (time final, position final) that you can plot on a graph.

5. Make a simple position-time graph to visualize and grasp the concept better. You may be surprised to find that by doing this you can see how the Pythagorean Theorem from geometry can be used to find the distance or displacement. Set up a two-coordinate system with the horizontal axis as time, and the vertical axis as distance, in whatever units you're using, for instance, meters per second or miles per hour. Plot your two coordinates and draw a straight line between the two points. Use the equation as given in Step 3 to calculate the average velocity.

6. Learn this simple equation well and what it means. If you look at the straight line on your graph, you will see that you're actually calculating the slope of the hypotenuse of a right triangle. The change in position over the change in time, or slope of the hypotenuse of that triangle, will solve for the average velocity in physics. You will need this information because you will need it need it to find acceleration in the near future.