There are 5 NRICH Mathematical resources connected to Relative velocity, you may find related items under Mechanics.
Broad Topics > Mechanics > Relative velocity
A messenger runs from the rear to the head of a marching column and back. When he gets back, the rear is where the head was when he set off. What is the ratio of his speed to that of the column?
A car is travelling along a dual carriageway at constant speed. Every 3 minutes a bus passes going in the opposite direction, while every 6 minutes a bus passes the car travelling in the same direction. Buses leave the depot at regular intervals; they travel along the dual carriageway and back to the depot at a constant speed. At what interval do the buses leave the depot?
At Holborn underground station there is a very long escalator. Two people are in a hurry and so climb the escalator as it is moving upwards, thus adding their speed to that of the moving steps. ... How many steps are there on the escalator?
Explain why, when moving heavy objects on rollers, the object moves twice as fast as the rollers. Try a similar experiment yourself.