Acceleration In Physics: Definition, Formula, And Units

Acceleration

The rate of change of velocity over time. Second derivative.

Acceleration is a fundamental concept in physics and refers to how much an object’s velocity changes over time. It is defined as the rate at which the velocity of an object changes per unit of time. Acceleration is a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude and direction.

The standard unit of acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s^2). Acceleration can be positive or negative, depending on the direction of the change in velocity. For example, if an object is speeding up, its acceleration is positive, and if it is slowing down, its acceleration is negative.

The formula for calculating acceleration is:

a = (v_f – v_i)/t

Where a is acceleration, v_f is final velocity, v_i is initial velocity, and t is the time taken for the change in velocity to occur.

It is important to note that acceleration is not the same as velocity. Velocity measures the rate at which an object changes its position, while acceleration measures the rate at which an object changes its velocity. Therefore, an object can have a constant velocity but still have non-zero acceleration if its direction changes.

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