Tangential Velocity: Definition, Formula, Equation, Calculation and Examples

The tangential velocity is measured at any point tangent to a rotating wheel. Thus, angular velocity, w, is related to tangential velocity, Vt, through the formula: Vt = wr. Here, r is the radius of the wheel. Tangential velocity is the component of motion along the edge of a circle measured at any arbitrary instant. As the name suggests, tangential velocity describes the motion of an object along the edge of this circle whose direction at any given point on the circle is always along the tangent to that point.