turningrate

Turning rate is the rate at which an object's orientation or heading changes over time. In physics and engineering it is commonly called angular velocity. The magnitude is expressed in radians per second (rad/s) or degrees per second (°/s), and the direction is along the axis of rotation according to the right-hand rule. If θ denotes the orientation angle, turning rate is ω = dθ/dt. In planar motion, the turning rate describes how quickly the heading changes as the body moves.

For an object moving at speed v along a circular path of radius R, the turning rate equals ω = v/R. This shows that slower speed or a tighter circle increases the turning rate. In vehicles and aircraft, turning rate is a practical measure of how quickly the craft changes direction. In aviation the term rate of turn (ROT) or yaw rate is often given in degrees per second and is related to bank angle and airspeed through approximate relationships (for a level coordinated turn, ω ≈ g tan φ / v, where φ is bank angle). Real-world turns depend on load, altitude, drag, and other factors.

In practice, turning rate is measured by sensors such as gyroscopes and is closely linked to yaw rate, which specifically describes rotation about the vertical axis in the horizontal plane. It is distinct from angular acceleration, which is the rate of change of turning rate, α = dω/dt.

See also: angular velocity, yaw rate, rotation, circular motion.