What do you know about speed? Have a look at some of these….
Many factors impact speed of movement. These include body size, length of limbs muscle strength, flexibility, habitat, and endurance. While some animals can accelerate to high speed in a few seconds, others can maintain high speeds for a long time. Adaptations to increase speed include lighter skeletons, longer legs and flexible spines. Some animals have specialised claws to improve grip
However, some animals that cannot move quickly enough to escape predators have evolved more unusual strategies to survive. For example, the Virginia opossum makes no attempt to run away, instead playing dead. It will mimic a dead animal, both in appearance and smell in order to become less attractive to the predator.
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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