2.3 Instantaneous Velocity

Suppose that a particle is moving in such a way that its average velocity, measured for a number of different time intervals, does not turn out to be constant. This particle is said to move with variable velocity. Then we must seek to determine a velocity of the particle at any given instant of time, called the instantaneous velocity.

Velocity can vary by a change in magnitude, by a change in direction, or both.
Here we consider only motion in one dimention in which the velocity can change continuously in magnitude but can be directed only in one of two directions along a straight line. For simplicity, we consider first motion in a fixed direction along a straight line.



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