It does not mean that the body is moving at the same speed throughout the journey. Thus, the speed of the body is not usually constant, and distance traveled divided by time gives us the average speed of the object or body during that time.Ĭonsider the given an example – If a body or an object travels a distance of 100 km in 4 hours, the average speed is 25 Km/hour. While traveling in a vehicle, it is quite difficult to keep the vehicle at a constant or uniform value because of the uneven structure of the road’s brakes needed to be applied, which slows down the vehicle. It is believed that the average speed of an object or body is constant. It can also be measured by calculating the speed of the entire journey or trip. The formula for calculating the average speed is given below –Īverage Speed = Total distance traveled by the object / Total time taken by the object. It can be defined as the total distance traveled by the object or a body divided by the total elapsed time. A bike traveling at a certain speed at an instant of time can be given by a speedometer. Formula Total distance / Total time The distance at that instant / Time at that instant Meaning Measured by calculating the speed for an entire journey Measured with the help of a speedometer Constant It is constant It is not constant Example A bike traveling with a speed of 40 miles/hour thus, the average speed is 40 miles in an hour. It is defined as the speed at a particular instant of time.

Comparison Table Between Average Speed and Instantaneous Speed Parameters of Comparison Average Speed Instantaneous Speed Definition It is defined as the total distance traveled divided by the total elapsed time. Also, instantaneous speed is a scalar quantity. The value of the instantaneous speed is greater than or equal to zero.

The speedometer tells the exact accurate value of the speed at that particular instant of time. And it is measured with the help of the vehicle-installed speedometer. Instantaneous speed is not constant for an object or a body.

Sometimes, it may have more value than the average speed or less value than the average speed depending on the path and hurdles. For a journey, it is not necessary that the body or an object remains at the average speed. Average Speed is a constant value and is measured by calculating the speed of an entire trip or journey.

Mac afee speedometer