𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝

Instantaneous velocity and speed are key concepts in understanding motion at a specific moment. Instantaneous velocity is the rate at which an object’s position changes at a particular instant, including direction, making it a vector quantity. Instantaneous speed is the magnitude of this velocity, ignoring direction, and is a scalar.

These concepts help analyze precise motion and are essential in physics and real-world applications like engineering. By understanding them, one can describe how an object moves at any moment, offering more detail than average measurements.

𝟏. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲

Definition: Instantaneous velocity is the velocity of an object at a specific moment in time or at a specific point along its path.

Nature: It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.

𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

Where v is the instantaneous velocity, Δx is the displacement over a small time interval Δt, and dx​/dt represents the derivative of displacement x with respect to time t.

𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: On a position-time graph, the instantaneous velocity at a particular moment corresponds to the slope of the tangent drawn to the curve at that point.

Read Also: Newton’s Law of Cooling - Class 11 Physics Notes

𝟐. 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲:

𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭: It points in the direction of the motion at that instant.

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲: When considering a very small time interval (Δt ≈0), the average velocity over that interval approaches the instantaneous velocity.

𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐬: The SI unit is meters per second (m/s).

𝟑. 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲

𝐃𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬: To find instantaneous velocity from a position function x(t), you need to differentiate x(t) with respect to (t). For example, if:

 x(t) = t^2 + 3t + 2,

then the instantaneous velocity \( v(t) \) is:

v(t) = dx/dt = 2t + 3.

𝟒. 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝

𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Instantaneous speed is the magnitude of the instantaneous velocity at a given moment.

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: It is a scalar quantity, meaning it only has magnitude and no direction.

𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲: Instantaneous speed is always positive and is equal to the absolute value of instantaneous velocity:

Instantaneous speed = |v|

𝟓. 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠

𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝟏: If a car's position at time t is given by x(t) = 4t^2, the instantaneous velocity can be found by differentiating x(t) with respect to t :

v(t) = dx/dt = 8t.

At t = 2 seconds, the instantaneous velocity is v(2) = 8 ×2 = 16 m/s.

𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝟐: If a position-time graph is curved, the instantaneous velocity at any point is found by drawing a tangent to the curve at that point and calculating the slope of the tangent.

𝟔. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲

𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: Instantaneous speed is scalar, while instantaneous velocity is vectorial.

𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞: Instantaneous speed is the magnitude of the instantaneous velocity and is always non-negative.

𝟕. 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: Understanding instantaneous velocity is crucial in motion analysis in kinematics and dynamics.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥-𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞: A speedometer in a car displays the instantaneous speed of the vehicle at any given moment.

𝟖. 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬

𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩-𝐛𝐲-𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧:

 1. Identify the function for displacement x(t).

 2. Differentiate x(t) to find v(t).

 3. Substitute the specific time ‘t’ if needed to find instantaneous velocity or speed.

𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬: Always ensure tangents are accurately drawn when working with graphs to find the slope.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧:

Understanding instantaneous velocity and speed is essential for analyzing motion at a specific moment. Instantaneous velocity provides detailed insights into both the magnitude and direction of movement, while instantaneous speed focuses on just the magnitude. These concepts allow students to accurately describe and predict how objects behave in motion. Mastering them lays a strong foundation for more complex topics in physics and their applications in real-world scenarios.