Knowing how to work with speed and velocity is important for your GCSE exams – and you could probably name some of the fastest animals in the world. But how much do you know about the slowest?
Corals, sea anemones, and mussels are all organisms known as sessile. This means they can survive with virtually no movement. There are more than 1000 species of sea anemones, and they rarely detach themselves from the rocks or coral they live on. They just sit there and wait for fish to get close enough to catch!! They only move at a speed of around 1 cm per hour!
The banana slug does not have much get up and go, in fact they are extraordinarily slow. Super fast banana slugs can move 7.5 inches per minute, whereas some meander along at only 4.6 inches per minute. When they are descending from trees – they even slow down, using a mucus plug coming out of their tail!
When we think about slow mammals – the 3-toed sloth comes to mind. On average, they travel at around 0.003 mph. Because of this, they don’t travel far – only about 100 feet per day. They can move so slowly that algae grow on their coats!!
If you are studying GCSE Science, you need to know the difference between speed and velocity, and how to calculate them. Try our new “How to work with Speed and Velocity” guide. Included is an explanation of how to interpret distance/time graphs, and velocity/time graphs. There are examples of how to use the gradient to calculate speed or acceleration, and using the area under a graph to calculate distance travelled. Questions for you to try, and answers to check your understanding can also be found in the guide.
Click the picture below to see the guide.
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