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Velocity versus speedYour teacher is trying to impress upon you that velocity is a vector whereas speed is a scalar quantity.

Huh?

Vectors have magnitude AND direction. If you're on a fast airplane, it does you no good if you're heading in the wrong direction. So knowing your speed is only half of what you need to know. You need to know your speed and your direction! If I'm on a plane from New York to Los Angeles, I want to to know that I'm going WEST at 590 mph. In other words, my velocity is 590 mph West. (My speed is just 590 mph.)

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13y ago
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11y ago

Velocity is a vector and so incorporates direction as well as speed.

It is very important for the ATC to know where aircraft are heading as well as how fast (speed) they are moving and the altitude at which they are flying in order to coordinate movements and line up aircraft for take off and landing procedures.

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15y ago

This is because the velocity of a plane determines how much your body gets smushed. De don't want a smushed body, now do we?

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Q: Why airplane pilots should know wind velocity and not just wind speed during a flight?
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