Physics GCSE
speed
What speed means in Physics GCSE, as defined for OCR.
Definitions of speed
Exam boards and our study guides word this term in slightly different ways. Learn the version your board uses.
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain speed in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: OCR
Distance divided by time, found using a metre rule or tape to measure the distance and a stopwatch or light gates to measure the time.
Calculated as distance divided by time, used for measuring ripple speed and the speed of sound in air over a measured distance.
Distance travelled divided by time taken, found by dividing the measured distance by the measured time.
A quantity measured in m/s, such as about 13 m/s in town or about 30 m/s on a motorway.
Topics that use speed
- Motion (OCR GCSE)
- Physics on the move (OCR GCSE)
- Wave behaviour (OCR GCSE)
Related terms
- Velocity
- absorption
- Acceleration
- Accurate reading of scales
- ageing
- amplitude
- Appropriate apparatus selection
- Area as displacement
Using speed in the exam
Check the command word and mark scheme for your exact question. After comparing your explanation with the reference, use the term in an answer on the linked topic. This practice does not predict an exam mark.
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