It is calculated as the total distance travelled divided by the total time taken. It is, of course, possible to go very fast for some of the time and then go slowly and cover the same distance. That is where the concept of average speed comes from.
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Average speed is an average value of speed over a given time. If your speed is constant (not changing), then your average speed will equal your speed at any given moment in time.
average speed = distance / time
Instantaneous speed is the speed at a particular moment in time.The average speed of an object tells you the (average) rate at which it covers distance
velocity is a vector and speed is scalar. Velocity has magnitude and directions, with magnitude being speed. The magnitude of average velocity and average speed is the same.
The concept of average speed is somewhat simpler than "instantaneous speed".