Linear Speed := v = arclength/time = s/t

Example:  30 miles/hour

Angular Speed := w = angle/time = theta/t

w is the greek letter “omega” and this letter is conventionally used for angular speed.  Notice angular speed has units radians/time but radians are dimension-less units so “radians per time” is really just “per time”.  These are the units of frequence, sometimes referred to as “Hertz”.  We will see w used again later when graphing the trig functions and the same letter is used because w will have a relationship with the frequency of the function (Refer to the “Amplitude and Frequency Modulation” movie).

Example:  3 laps/minute

Note:  A lap or a revolution is an angle.  1 lap = 1 revolution = 360 degrees = 2*Pi radians.

Convert between Linear Speed and Angular Speed using v = r*w