Enter the velocity of the object relative to point A and the velocity of point A relative to point B to determine the total velocity of the object relative to point B.

Total Velocity Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Total Velocity.

Vt = Vo-a + Va-b
  • Where Vt is the total velocity (m/s)
  • Vo-a is the velocity of the object relative to point A (m/s)
  • Va-b is the velocity of point A relative to point b (m/s)

To calculate total velocity sum the velocities of the objects relative to point A and point B.

What is a Total Velocity?

Definition:

A total velocity is a measure of the velocity of an object relative to another point when combining two or more relative velocities.

How to Calculate Total Velocity?

Example Problem:

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

First, determine the velocity of the object relative to point A. In this example, the velocity of the object relative to point A is found to be 3m/s.

Next, determine the velocity of point A relative to point b. For this problem, the velocity of point A relative to point b is found to be 50 m/s.

Finally, calculate the Total Velocity using the formula above:

Vt = Vo-a + Va-b

Vt = 3 + 50

Vt = 53 m/s