An instance that highlights the distinction is circular motion
Explanation:
Let's begin with the definitions of these two terms:
- Speed is a scalar quantity that measures "how quickly" an object moves, independent of its travel direction.
Speed can be calculated as:

where:
d is the distance covered
t is the time elapsed
- Velocity is a vector quantity defined as:

where;
d is the object's displacement (a vector connecting initial and final positions during motion)
t is the time taken
Since it is a vector, velocity incorporates both a magnitude and direction, hence taking into account the object's movement direction.
For straight-line motion, speed and velocity are equivalent. However, this isn't always true.
In reality, one scenario where these quantities diverge is in circular motion. For instance, when an object completes a full revolution around the circle, its average speed is calculated as the perimeter length (distance) divided by the time taken:

where r denotes the circle's radius.
Nevertheless, since the object's displacement returns to zero (as it goes back to the initial point), the average velocity equals zero:

Learn more about speed and velocity: