Last updated: May 01, 2024

Resultant Velocity Calculator

Q: What is the difference between resultant velocity and velocity?

The velocity represents the rate of change of the displacement of an object in a given frame . It is a vector quantity, meaning it is described by its magnitude and direction. The resultant velocity is the result of adding several velocity vectors acting on a given object simultaneously.

Q: How do I calculate the resultant velocity?

Suppose that you have two velocity vectors with speeds v 1 = 3 m/s and v 2 = 6 m/s , and directions θ 1 = 30 deg and θ 2 = 60 deg . You can find the resultant velocity following the steps below: Calculate the v x res component using the equation: v x res = v 1 cos θ 1 + v 2 cos θ 2 ≈ 5.6 m/s Determine the v y res component through the formula: v y res = v 1 sin θ 1 + v 2 sin θ 2 ≈ 6.7 m/s Use the equations below to find the absolute value of the resultant velocity and its direction: v res = √ (v x res 2 + v y res 2 ) ≈ 8.7 m/s θ res = arctan(v y res /v x res ) ≈ 50 deg Or simply input your data in our resultant velocity calculator and save your time!

Q: What is resultant velocity and average velocity?

The resultant velocity is determined by adding several velocity vectors acting over a given object. The average velocity is defined as an object's average rate of displacement . The absolute value of the average velocity is constant , while the magnitude of the resultant velocity may change if one or more of its components are time-dependent .

Q: Can the resultant velocity be equal to zero?

Yes , we can have scenarios where the resultant velocity is equal to zero . This happens, for instance, if we have two velocity vectors with the same speed pointing in opposite directions. If you want to see this, follow the steps below: Take v 1 = v 2 = 2 m/s and θ 1 = π/6 and θ 2 = 7 π/6 . Calculate the v x res and v y res component through the formulas: v x res = 2 cos(π/6) + 2 cos(7π/6) = 0 v y res = 2 sin(π/6) + 2 sin(7π/6) = 0 Substitute the results in the formula to the absolute value of the resultant velocity: v res = √( v x res 2 + v y res 2 ) = 0 That is it! You proved that by adding two opposite vectors of the same magnitude, the result is zero.

Created by João Rafael Lucio dos Santos, PhD

João Rafael Lucio dos Santos

PhD, Federal University of Campina Grande

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Joao is a physicist, researcher, and professor in Brazil. He earned his Ph.D. in Physics at the University of Rochester, NY in 2013. He has written several papers in international journals, mainly in field theory and cosmology. Joao is also a researcher and the outreach leader for the BINGO telescope. This state-of-the-art radio telescope will be operating in the Northeast of Brazil in a few years. He believes in the importance of spreading knowledge and high-quality information among society and the public in general. He also believes that people can enjoy the learning process if it is funny and if they can see it as a path to change their life, even in daily activities. In his free time, he enjoys running, playing tennis, cooking, traveling, and having pleasant moments with his relatives and friends. See full profile

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Steven Wooding

Physicist holding a 1st class degree and a member of the Institute of Physics. Creator of the UK vaccine queue calculator, and featured in many publications, including The Sun, Daily Mail, Express, and Independent. Tenacious in researching answers to questions and has an affection for coding. Hobbies include cycling, walking, and birdwatching. You can find him on Twitter @OmniSteve. See full profile

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Table of contents

What is velocity?What is resultant velocity? Velocity in 2D How to find the resultant velocity: Example FAQs

This resultant velocity calculator is an Omni Calculator tool that allows you to add up to five different two-dimensional velocity vectors. It will instantaneously give you the magnitude of the resultant velocity, as well as its direction and its x and y components.

In the text below, we will explain the definition of velocity, what the resultant velocity is, how to add vectors with two components, and how to find the resultant velocity.

So grab your helmet, fasten your seat belt, and let's start to add some velocity vectors 🏎️!

What is velocity?

Usually, we are in motion. When you walk on the streets, play soccer with your friends on Sunday, go to the supermarket, drive your kids to school, ride your bicycle, etc. The common feature behind all these examples of motion is that in doing them, we cover a displacement in a given amount of time. The measure of how fast a displacement happens is called velocity. Such a relation can be mathematically described as:

\footnotesize \vec{v}_{\rm av} = \frac{\Delta \vec{r}}{\Delta t}

where

$\vec{v}_{\rm av}$ — Average velocity;
$\Delta \vec{r}$ — Displacement vector; and
$\Delta t$ — Time interval.

Here, we can see that the average velocity is a vector. Therefore, it is characterized by an absolute value (also known as speed), and a direction. The average velocity can describe a motion where there is no acceleration, which means that the object is moving with constant speed. If you want to compute the velocity of an object subject to acceleration, then you need to use the definition of instantaneous velocity, whose formula is:

\footnotesize \begin{split} \vec{v}_{\rm inst} &= \lim_{\Delta t \rightarrow 0} \vec{v}_{\rm av} \\[1em] &= \lim_{\Delta t \rightarrow 0} \frac{\Delta \vec{r}}{\Delta t} \\[1em] & = \frac{d\,\vec{r}}{d\,t} \end{split}

The SI units to measure the absolute value of the velocity (or speed) are meters per second or m/s. However, in our daily activities, we can also find velocities measured in km/h, mph, km/min, etc. In our resultant velocity calculator, you can choose among different units for speed. You can also use our speed conversion calculator to change the units of your speed properly.

What is resultant velocity? Velocity in 2D

As we saw before, velocity is a vector with at least one component if we consider an object moving in one dimension. In our resultant velocity calculator, we will explore two-dimensional velocity vectors with components in $\rm{x}$ and $\rm{y}$ directions. This kind of velocity vector can be applied in the context of the projectile and relative motion. It can also be reduced to one-dimensional motion by taking one of its components equal to zero.

🙋 You can learn more about two-dimensional motion with our projectile motion calculator. Moreover, if your objects move with speeds close to the speed of the light, you can check our velocity addition calculator.

A 2D velocity vector can be written in terms of its $v_{\rm x}$ and $v_{\rm y}$ components through the formula:

\footnotesize \begin{split} \vec{v} &= v_{\rm x}\,\hat{i} + v_{\rm y}\,\hat{j} \\[1em] \vec{v} &= v\cdot \cos\theta\,\hat{i} + v\cdot \sin\theta\,\hat{j} \end{split}

where $\theta$ is the angle between $\vec{v}$ and the x-axis. The resultant velocity is, as the name says, the sum of different velocity vectors acting over an object, which means that

\footnotesize \vec{v}_{\rm res} = \vec{v}_1+\vec{v}_2+\vec{v}_3+\ldots+\vec{v}_n

Then, if we want to compute the resultant velocity, all we have to do is to determine the $\rm{x}$ and $\rm{y}$ components of each velocity vector. This is done in such a way that our formula is rewritten as:

\footnotesize \begin{split} \vec{v}_{\rm res} &= v_{\rm x\,res}\,\hat{i} + v_{\rm y\,res}\,\hat{j} \\[1em] v_{\rm x\,res} &= v_1 \cdot \cos\theta_1 + v_2 \cdot \cos\theta_2 \\[1em] &\quad+ \ldots v_n \cdot \cos\theta_n \\[1em] v_{\rm y\,res} &= v_1 \cdot \sin \theta_1 + v_2 \cdot \sin\theta_2 \\[1em] &\quad+ \ldots v_n \cdot \sin\theta_n \\[1em] \end{split}

where:

$v_i$ — Absolute values of each one of the $n$ velocities;
$\theta_i$ — Directions in respect to the x-axis of each one of the $n$ velocities;
$v_{\rm x\,res}$ — x component of the resultant velocity; and
$v_{\rm y\,res}$ — y component of the resultant velocity.

In our resultant velocity calculator, you can add up to five different two-dimensional velocity vectors. To sum more than two velocities, click on the checkbox next to the question "Do you want to add up to 5 velocities together?" and substitute the 0's in the extra velocities fields of the calculator, as required.

Moreover, $v_{\rm x\,res}$ and $v_{\rm y\,res}$ can be used to calculate the absolute value of $\vec{v}_{\rm res}$ and also its direction. You can determine these quantities by checking that

\footnotesize \begin{split} v_{\rm res} &= \sqrt{\vec{v}_{\rm res} \cdot \vec{v}_{\rm res}} \\[1em] v_{\rm res} &= \sqrt{v_{\rm x\,res}^2 + v_{\rm y\,res}^2} \end{split}

\footnotesize \theta_{\rm res} = \arctan\left(\frac{v_{\rm y\,res}}{v_{\rm x\,res}}\right)

where:

$v_{\rm res}$ — Absolute value of the resultant velocity; and
$\theta_{\rm res}$ — Direction of the resultant velocity.

Now that you know the theory, let us show you how to use our calculator with an example.

How to find the resultant velocity: Example

Imagine you are on the side of a river, seeing your friend crossing it inside a boat. The boat velocity relative to the water is $15 \, \text{km/h}$ pointing straight in your direction. However, suppose that the river has a current and the water moves with a constant and uniform speed of $7 \, \text{km/h}$ , perpendicular to the boat direction.

In this case, what will be the resultant velocity of the boat that you observe? And what will be its direction? Let us use our resultant velocity calculator to find the answers.

You can start by selecting your units properly and typing the boat velocity in the Velocity 1 field of our calculator. Then, we can consider 0 in the Angle 1 field since the boat is moving in your direction. Now, insert the water velocity in the next field of the calculator, and here, we must use $90\degree$ as the Angle 2 parameter since the river current is perpendicular to the boat direction.

Then you can see your answers appearing instantaneously, so fast as a Formula One car. Our calculator finds that $v_{\rm res} = 16.55\, \text{km/h}$ and $\theta_{\rm res} = 25\degree$ . It also shows the absolute values of the x and y components of the resultant velocity vector.

You can check your results using the formulas below:

\footnotesize \begin{split} v_{\rm x\,res} & = 15 \, \text{km/h} \\[.6em] v_{\rm y\,res} & = 7 \, \text{km/h} \end{split}

\footnotesize \begin{split} v_{\rm res} & = \sqrt{15^2+7^2} \approx 16.55\, \text{km/h} \\[1em] \theta_{\rm res} &= \arctan \left(\frac{7}{15}\right) \approx 25\degree \end{split}

FAQs

What is the difference between resultant velocity and velocity?

The velocity represents the rate of change of the displacement of an object in a given frame. It is a vector quantity, meaning it is described by its magnitude and direction. The resultant velocity is the result of adding several velocity vectors acting on a given object simultaneously.

How do I calculate the resultant velocity?

Suppose that you have two velocity vectors with speeds v₁ = 3 m/s and v₂ = 6 m/s, and directions θ₁ = 30 deg and θ₂ = 60 deg. You can find the resultant velocity following the steps below:

Calculate the v_{x res} component using the equation:

v_{x res} = v₁ cos θ₁ + v₂ cos θ₂ ≈ 5.6 m/s
Determine the v_{y res} component through the formula:

v_{y res} = v₁ sin θ₁ + v₂ sin θ₂ ≈ 6.7 m/s
Use the equations below to find the absolute value of the resultant velocity and its direction:

v_res = √ (v_{x res}² + v_{y res}²) ≈ 8.7 m/s

θ_res = arctan(v_{y res}/v_{x res}) ≈ 50 deg
Or simply input your data in our resultant velocity calculator and save your time!

What is resultant velocity and average velocity?

The resultant velocity is determined by adding several velocity vectors acting over a given object. The average velocity is defined as an object's average rate of displacement. The absolute value of the average velocity is constant, while the magnitude of the resultant velocity may change if one or more of its components are time-dependent.

Can the resultant velocity be equal to zero?

Yes, we can have scenarios where the resultant velocity is equal to zero. This happens, for instance, if we have two velocity vectors with the same speed pointing in opposite directions. If you want to see this, follow the steps below:

Take v₁ = v₂ = 2 m/s and θ₁ = π/6 and θ₂ = 7 π/6.
Calculate the v_{x res} and v_{y res} component through the formulas:

v_{x res} = 2 cos(π/6) + 2 cos(7π/6) = 0

v_{y res} = 2 sin(π/6) + 2 sin(7π/6) = 0
Substitute the results in the formula to the absolute value of the resultant velocity:

v_res = √( v_{x res}² + v_{y res}²) = 0
That is it! You proved that by adding two opposite vectors of the same magnitude, the result is zero.