The Rematch of the Tortoise and the Hare: A Story of Speed and Velocity

In traditional introductory physics courses, concepts of distance, displacement, speed, velocity, scalars, and vectors are generally taught near the beginning of the course. However, students often contend with preexisting notions, such as the idea that speed and velocity are synonyms, which present some of the first conceptual hurdles that they face. "The Rematch of the Tortoise and the Hare" (provided below) offers a modern sequel to an ancient fable, and has been used to successfully help students differentiate between average speed and average velocity where traditional instruction has failed.