Ask a Teacher
DISTINGUISH BETWEEN TIME AND VELOCITY |
Velocity is a vector quantity
that refers to "the rate at which an object changes its position."
Imagine a person moving rapidly - one step forward and one step back -
always returning to the original starting position. While this might
result in a frenzy of activity, it would result in a zero velocity.
Because the person always returns to the original position, the motion
would never result in a change in position. Since velocity is defined as
the rate at which the position changes, this motion results in zero
velocity. If a person in motion wishes to maximize their velocity, then
that person must make every effort to maximize the amount that they are
displaced from their original position. Every step must go into moving
that person further from where he or she started. For certain, the
person should never change directions and begin to return to the
starting position. Time is what clocks measure. The three key features of time are that it orders events in sequence one after the other; it specifies how long any event lasts; and it specifies when events occur. |