stylistic:style_transfer, structural:summarization
Relative velocity

Relative velocity is a measurement of velocity between two objects as determined in a single coordinate system. Relative velocity is fundamental in both classical and modern physics, since many systems in physics deal with the relative motion of two or more particles.

Consider an object A moving with velocity vector v and an object B with velocity vector w; these absolute velocities are typically expressed in the same inertial reference frame. Then, the velocity of object A relative to object B is defined as the difference of the two velocity vectors: v A relative to B = v − w {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {v}}_{A{\text{ relative to }}B}={\boldsymbol {v}}-{\boldsymbol {w}}} Similarly, the relative velocity of object B moving with velocity w, relative to object A moving with velocity v is: v B relative to A = w − v {\displaystyle {\boldsymbol {v}}_{B{\text{ relative to }}A}={\boldsymbol {w}}-{\boldsymbol {v}}} Usually, the inertial frame chosen is that in which the latter of the two mentioned objects is in rest.

In Newtonian mechanics, the relative velocity is independent of the chosen inertial reference frame. This is not the case anymore with special relativity in which velocities depend on the choice of reference frame.