Acceleration : Definition, Examples, Formula and Measurement

Acceleration

An object or an element is said to be accelerating if a change in its velocity occurs. The change of speed can be increasing or decreasing speed or a change in the direction of the object. An example of acceleration is an orange falling from a tree. Acceleration is the rate of change in velocity. Acceleration is considered a vector quantity, meaning it has magnitude along with the direction.

The equation that is used to find acceleration is a = v-u/t. Here a represented as the acceleration, v is the final velocity, and u is the initial velocity. The unit of acceleration is m/s^2.

It is possible to have a uniform circle. Suppose a car is moving in a circle. The speed remains constant, but the direction is changing.

The acceleration in a given constant is called instantaneous acceleration. Depending on its direction, acceleration can be either positive or negative. Negative speed is called deceleration.

Calculation involving acceleration

A car accelerates from rest to a speed of 6 m/s in 12 seconds. What is the acceleration of the car?

- Putting it into the equation, a = 6 -0 /12 = 0.5 m/s^2

A car accelerates from 6 to a speed of 12 m/s in 12 seconds. What is the acceleration of the car?

- Putting it into the equation, a = 12-6 /12 = 0.5 m/s^2

A car accelerates from 5m/s to a speed of 10 m/s in 5 seconds. What is the acceleration of the car?

- Putting it into the equation, a = 10-5/5 = 1 m/s^2