Enter the velocity magnitude in both directions into the calculator to determine the separation velocity.

Separation Velocity Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Separation Velocity.

Vs = VL + VR

  • Where Vs is the separation velocity (m/s)
  • VL is the magnitude of the velocity of object A moving to the left (m/s)
  • VR is the magnitude of the velocity of object B moving to the right (m/s)

What is a Separation Velocity?

Definition:

A separation velocity is a measure of the rate of change of displacement between two objects moving away from each other.

How to Calculate Separation Velocity?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate Separation Velocity.

First, determine the magnitude of the velocity of object A moving to the left. In this example, this is found to be 50 m/s.

Next, determine the the magnitude of the velocity of object B moving to the right . For this problem, this is 30 m/s.

Finally, calculate the Separation Velocity using the formula above:

Vs = VL + VR

Vs = 50 + 30

Vs = 80 m/s