The velocity formula
Average velocity is v = d / t, where d is the distance traveled and t is the elapsed time. Running 100 m in 9.58 s gives 10.44 m/s. This is average velocity over the interval, not the instantaneous speed at any single moment. Once you know velocity, you can study how it changes with the acceleration calculator.
The same relationship rearranges to answer related questions: d = v × t gives distance from a known speed, and t = d ÷ v gives the time a journey takes.
How to use this calculator
Enter the distance in meters and the time in seconds, then read the velocity in meters per second. Keep your units consistent — if you measure distance in kilometers and time in hours you will get km/h instead. To convert m/s to km/h, multiply by 3.6.
Times given in minutes must be multiplied by 60 first, and time cannot be zero, since a journey with no duration has no defined velocity. Multiply the result by mass and you have the momentum carried by the object.
Velocity vs. speed
In everyday use the words are interchangeable, but in physics speed is just magnitude while velocity also has direction. This tool returns the average magnitude over the trip. To find the change in motion over time, pair it with the acceleration calculator.
The average also hides everything that happened along the way. A sprinter covering 100 m in 9.58 s averages 10.44 m/s but starts from rest and peaks well above 12 m/s partway through. Any journey with stops, corners or changes of pace has an average velocity that no instant of the trip actually matched.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I calculate velocity?
- Divide distance by time: v = d / t. For example, 100 m in 9.58 s is 10.44 m/s.
- What units does this use?
- Distance in meters and time in seconds give velocity in meters per second (m/s). Multiply by 3.6 for km/h.
- Is this average or instantaneous velocity?
- It is average velocity over the whole interval — total distance divided by total time.
- What is the difference between speed and velocity?
- Speed is magnitude only; velocity also includes direction. This tool gives the average magnitude.
- What if the journey ends where it started?
- Strictly, average velocity is zero, because displacement is zero even though distance travelled is not. A lap of a track has plenty of average speed but no net velocity. This tool divides the distance you enter, so enter displacement if you need true velocity.