The concept of velocity, specifically in the context of physics, was not discovered by a single individual. Instead, it evolved through the collective efforts of many scientists and thinkers over centuries. The understanding of velocity emerged as a result of developments in the field of classical mechanics.
In the 17th century, the foundations of classical mechanics were laid by several prominent scientists, including Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton. Galileo made significant contributions to the study of motion and developed the concept of uniform motion, which laid the groundwork for understanding velocity.
Isaac Newton's laws of motion, published in his work "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica" in 1687, provided a comprehensive framework for describing the motion of objects. Newton's second law of motion, in particular, introduced the concept of acceleration, which is closely related to velocity.
Velocity itself is defined as the rate of change of an object's position with respect to time. It incorporates both speed (magnitude) and direction. The formalization and mathematical description of velocity were integral to the development of calculus, which was independently developed by Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz.
Therefore, while we can credit various scientists and thinkers for contributing to our understanding of motion, it is not accurate to attribute the discovery of velocity to a single individual. It emerged as a result of cumulative scientific progress and the development of fundamental principles in classical mechanics.