Relative velocity is the velocity of an object or observer as measured in relation to another object or observer. It takes into account both the speed and direction of motion.
To calculate relative velocity, you need to subtract the velocity of the reference point from the velocity of the moving object. The resulting vector will be the relative velocity.
Relative velocity is the velocity measured in relation to another object or observer, while absolute velocity is the velocity measured with respect to a fixed reference point. Relative velocity takes into account the motion of both objects, while absolute velocity only measures the motion of one object.
Relative velocity is used in many real life situations, such as calculating the speed and direction of airplanes in relation to the ground, determining the velocity of a boat in a river with a current, and predicting the motion of celestial bodies in space.
One common misconception is that relative velocity is always equal to the difference in velocities of the two objects. In reality, relative velocity takes into account the directions of motion and can be significantly different from the difference in speeds. Another misconception is that relative velocity is the same for both objects, when in fact it is different for each object as it depends on their respective frames of reference.