Delta v (physics)

In general physics, delta-v is simply a change in velocity. The Greek uppercase letter delta is the standard mathematical symbol to represent change in some quantity.

Depending on the situation, delta-v can be either a spatial vector (Δv) or scalar (Δv). In either case it is equal to the acceleration (vector or scalar) integrated over time:

If acceleration is constant, the change in velocity can thus be expressed as:

where:

Change in velocity is useful in many cases, such as determining the change in momentum (impulse), where : Δ p = m Δ v , where p is momentum and m is mass.