average speed
What average speed means in Physics GCSE, as defined for AQA, OCR.
Definitions of average speed
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Reference: AQA
For the whole journey this comes from the total distance divided by the total time, the gradient of a straight line drawn from the first point to the last.
The total distance divided by the total time, which is what average-speed cameras compute from the separation of the cameras and the time between them.
A quantity that summarises a varying journey in one number, found by dividing the whole distance by the whole time.
Found by dividing the total distance travelled by the total time taken for the whole journey.
Topics that use average speed
- Speed (AQA GCSE)
- The distance–time relationship (AQA GCSE)
- Motion (OCR GCSE)
Related terms
- constant speed
- distance travelled
- instantaneous speed
- light gates
- Acceleration
- Accurate reading of scales
- Appropriate apparatus selection
- Area as displacement
Using average speed in the exam
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