What Is the Distance Covered Per Unit of Time Called?

Speed is the rate of distance covered per unit of time. The SI unit for speed is meters per second. An object can have a speed of any number 0 or greater.

Speed is a scalar measurement, meaning the direction of movement of an object cannot be determined by just knowing the speed. Velocity is a vector measurement that indicates the speed and direction of movement. The speed of an object is easily measured using a radar gun, using a laser gun, or simply recording the time taken to move a known distance. The speedometer of a car determines the current speed by recording the revolution rate of the tires divided by a set time interval.