OnRamps Physics Practice Test

Speed has no ______ and is always taken as ______.

Magnitude; negative Direction; positive Velocity; zero Reference frame; positive

Correct Answer:

Direction; positive

Explanation:

Speed is a scalar quantity that measures how fast something is moving, giving only the magnitude of motion. Because it describes how much motion, not where it’s headed, speed has no direction. That’s why the blank is filled with “direction.” And since speed is the magnitude of motion, it’s taken as a positive value (in practice nonnegative; you can have zero when at rest, but we usually express speed as a positive quantity when motion is occurring). In contrast, velocity includes direction and can be positive or negative depending on the chosen frame or axis, and the other options mix in properties that speed doesn’t possess (like a definite magnitude being negative, or equating speed with velocity, or tying it to a reference frame).

Access more questions from this quiz

Continue to OnRamps Physics Practice Test for more practice questions and the full quiz experience.

Access More Questions