Average Velocity Calculator
Average velocity is one of the most fundamental quantities in kinematics. It tells you how quickly an object changes its position, measured as the total displacement divided by the total time taken. Unlike average speed, which only measures how far you have travelled regardless of direction, velocity is a vector: if you go 100 m east and then 100 m west in a straight line, your displacement is zero and your average velocity is zero, even though you covered 200 m in total. This distinction matters in physics problems, navigation, and any situation where the direction of movement is important. This calculator works in two modes. In simple mode you enter a single total displacement and a total time, and it returns the average velocity in metres per second and kilometres per hour. In multi-segment mode you can break a journey into up to four separate legs, each with its own displacement and time, and the calculator sums them before computing the overall average velocity. Positive displacements represent movement in one direction and negative displacements represent movement in the opposite direction, so they cancel correctly when added. Enter displacement in metres and time in seconds. The default example uses a total displacement of 120 m covered in 8 s, giving an average velocity of 15.00 m/s, which equals 54.00 km/h. Use this tool for physics homework, motion analysis, or to check your workings quickly.
How it works
Average velocity is defined as total displacement divided by total time: v_avg = Δx / Δt. Displacement is a signed quantity, so segments in opposite directions reduce the total. Time is always positive and all segments add directly. The result in m/s is multiplied by 3.6 to convert to km/h. In multi-segment mode the calculator sums all entered displacements and all entered times before dividing, giving the true average velocity over the whole journey rather than an average of the individual segment velocities.
Worked example
A ball rolls 120 m in a straight line and takes 8 s to do so. Average velocity = 120 m / 8 s = 15.00 m/s. Converting to km/h: 15 x 3.6 = 54.00 km/h. These are the default values pre-filled above, so you can verify the output without changing anything.
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