Speed is all about how fast something is moving, without considering the direction. Like time intervals, speed is a scalar quantity. When calculating speed, we look at the absolute value of velocity, which gives us only how fast the object is moving regardless of direction.
For calculating the velocity, which is the rate of change of displacement, we use the equation:
- \( v = \frac{\Delta x}{\Delta t} \)
Substituting in our values:
- \( v = \frac{-11 \, \text{m}}{12 \, \text{s}} = -0.9167 \, \text{m/s} \)
The negative sign indicates the direction of the velocity, backwards in this case. But for speed, we take the absolute value:
- Speed = \(|-0.9167 \, \text{m/s}| = 0.9167 \, \text{m/s}\)
So, speed tells us how fast the object was moving, irrespective of which direction it was traveling.