Acceleration is a fundamental concept in physics that measures the rate of change of an object's velocity over time. In simpler terms, it describes how quickly an object's speed or direction changes as time passes. Acceleration is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (numerical value) and direction.
The mathematical definition of acceleration is given by the formula:
Acceleration (a) = Change in Velocity (Δv) / Change in Time (Δt)
Where:
- Δv represents the change in velocity, which is the final velocity (v_f) minus the initial velocity (v_i).
- Δt represents the change in time, which is the final time (t_f) minus the initial time (t_i).
In equation form, it can be written as:
a = (v_f - v_i) / (t_f - t_i)
The SI unit of acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s²). When an object accelerates, it can either increase its speed, decrease its speed, or change its direction, depending on the direction of the acceleration vector. If the acceleration is in the same direction as the velocity, the object will speed up. If the acceleration is in the opposite direction, the object will slow down. If the acceleration is perpendicular to the velocity, the object will change its direction without changing its speed.
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Acceleration is a fundamental concept in physics that measures the rate of change of an object's velocity over time. In simpler terms, it describes how quickly an object's speed or direction changes as time passes. Acceleration is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (numerical value) and direction.
The mathematical definition of acceleration is given by the formula:
Acceleration (a) = Change in Velocity (Δv) / Change in Time (Δt)
Where:
- Δv represents the change in velocity, which is the final velocity (v_f) minus the initial velocity (v_i).
- Δt represents the change in time, which is the final time (t_f) minus the initial time (t_i).
In equation form, it can be written as:
a = (v_f - v_i) / (t_f - t_i)
The SI unit of acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s²). When an object accelerates, it can either increase its speed, decrease its speed, or change its direction, depending on the direction of the acceleration vector. If the acceleration is in the same direction as the velocity, the object will speed up. If the acceleration is in the opposite direction, the object will slow down. If the acceleration is perpendicular to the velocity, the object will change its direction without changing its speed.
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Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of the velocity of an object with respect to time.
An object is said to be accelerating or have the acceleration when its velocity is changing.