What is Velocity?

• A. The speed of an object in a particular direction.
• B. The force applied to a unit area of surface.
• C. The rate of doing work.
• D. The amount of time in minutes, hours, seconds.

Answer: (A)

Velocity describes how fast something is moving in a specific direction. It’s a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (the speed) and direction. For example, a car going 60 mph north has a velocity of 60 mph toward the north. If you only say the speed, like 60 mph, you’re describing speed, not velocity, because no direction is specified. Velocity thus tells you about rate of displacement—the straight‑line change in position over time. If an object moves at a constant speed but keeps turning, its velocity changes because the direction changes. The other options describe different things: pressure is force per area, power is the rate of doing work, and time is a measure of duration.