What is the Difference Between Average Velocity and Instantaneous Velocity?

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Average velocity is calculated as the total distance traveled divided by the total time taken over a specific interval. In contrast, instantaneous velocity refers to the speed and direction of an object at a specific moment, akin to what a speedometer displays. On a displacement-vs-time graph, average velocity is represented by the slope of a line segment connecting two points, while instantaneous velocity is depicted by the slope of the tangent line at a particular point. Understanding these definitions helps clarify the distinction between the two concepts. Overall, average velocity applies to intervals, whereas instantaneous velocity pertains to specific moments in time.
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can you explain me Instantaneous Velocity in simplest form?
 
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The average velocity over a time interval is the distance traveled divided by the time interval. The instantaneous velocity is the limiting case, where the time interval approaches zero.
 
Instantaneous velocity can be thought of as "[the vector quantity with magnitude] what your speedometer reads right now, together with the direction your car is pointing".

On a displacement-vs-time graph, you can visualize krab's definitions as
  • average-velocity="the slope of a line-segment with endpoints at the start and end of the time-interval of interest"
  • instantaneous-velocity="the slope of the tangent-line at the instant of interest"

It's good to remember these prepositional phrases
  • average-velocity over a specific time-interval (you need to specify two times [better: two events])
  • instantaneous-velocity at a specific instant (you need to specify one time [better: one event])
 

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