Up next in 10
What is tangential velocity in physics? #physics #science #youtubeshorts #ytshorts
Apr 19, 2026
Tangential velocity
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
What is tangential velocity V?
0:02
Tangential velocity is the linear
0:04
velocity of an object moving along a
0:07
circular path acting along the tangent
0:10
to the circle at any point. Tangential
0:12
velocity describes how fast an object
0:15
moves along the edge of a circular path.
0:18
Unlike angular velocity, which is the
0:20
same for all points on a rotating body,
0:23
tangential velocity depends on the
0:25
distance from the center. The farther an
0:28
object is from the center of rotation,
0:30
the greater its tangential velocity for
0:33
the same angular velocity. Tangential
0:35
velocity is a vector quantity, and its
0:38
direction is always along the tangent to
0:40
the circular path at that point. Imagine
0:43
a spinning disk. A point near the edge
0:46
moves faster than a point near the
0:48
center.
0:49
This higher speed at the edge is due to
0:51
greater tangential velocity. Examples:
0:54
Motion of a point on the edge of a
0:56
rotating wheel. A stone tied to a string
0:59
moving in a circle. Earth's rotation
1:01
affecting points at the equator more
1:03
than near the poles. Blades of a fan
1:05
moving faster at the tips. Objects
1:08
moving in circular tracks.