Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki who loved to play outside. She would run around the yard, climb trees, and ride her bike. One day, Nikki’s father was watching her play and he asked her, “Do you know the difference between speed and velocity?”
Nikki shook her head. “No,” she said. “What’s the difference?”
“Speed is how fast you’re moving,” her father explained. “But velocity is speed with direction. So, if you’re running north at 5 kilometres per hour, your velocity is 5 kilometres per hour north.”
Nikki thought about this for a moment. “I think I get it,” she said. “So, if I’m running east at 5 kilometres per hour, and then I turn and start running west at 5 kilometres per hour, my velocity is still 5 kilometres per hour, but it’s changing direction.”
“That’s right,” her father said. “Velocity is always changing, because things are always moving around us. But speed is a little more constant. It’s the rate at which you’re moving, regardless of direction.”
Nikki smiled. “I’m glad I know the difference now,” she said. “Thanks, Papa!”
Nikki’s father smiled back. “You’re welcome,” he said. “Now go outside and play some more!”
Nikki ran off to play, and she thought about what her father had said. She realized that she had been using the terms “speed” and “velocity” interchangeably, but now she knew that there was a difference. She also realized that velocity was a more important concept, because it took into account the direction of motion.
Nikki continued to play outside, and she kept an eye on her velocity. She ran north, south, east, and west, and she even tried spinning around in circles. She had a lot of fun, and she learned a lot about speed and Velocity along the way.
Short stories for kids 