OnRamps Physics Practice Test 2026 – Complete Exam Prep Guide

Velocity adds as a vector: when multiple motions influence the same object, all contributions combine by summing the vectors. The total velocity is the vector sum of all individual velocities: V_tot = V1 + V2 + ... + Vn. This correctly handles direction, since vectors point in their respective directions and the components add tip-to-tail to give both a resultant speed and direction. For example, if one velocity is 5 m/s east and another is 3 m/s north, the total velocity is (5,0) + (0,3) = (5,3), whose magnitude is about 5.83 m/s at roughly 31 degrees north of east. Subtracting or multiplying the velocities doesn’t capture the proper way velocities combine, and taking only the maximum ignores how components in different directions contribute to the overall motion.