Acceleration
Acceleration, abbreviated as a, is the rate of change of velocity with time. Like velocity, this is a vector quantity that has a direction as well as a magnitude. Whenever a mass experiences a force, an acceleration is acting. An increase in velocity is commonly called acceleration while a decrease in velocity is deceleration.
Acceleration is a vector quantity having magnitude and direction, some of these include displacement, drag, force, lift, momentum, thrust, torque, velocity and weight.
Acceleration Types
- Angular Acceleration - An object is the rate at which the angle velocity changes with respect to time.
- Centripetal Acceleration - The change in the velocity, which is a vector, either in speed or direction as an object makes its way around a circular path.
- Constant Acceleration - An object is the constant rate in a straight line at which the velocity changes with respect to time.
- Gravitational Acceleration - The force on an object caused only by gravity.
- Instantaneous Acceleration - The acceleration at a particular moment in time along its path.
- Linear Acceleration - The change in linear velocity of an object in a straight line.
- Tangential Acceleration - How much the tangential velocity of a point at a radius changes with time.
- Uniform Acceleration - When an object is traveling in a straight line with a uniform increase in velocity at equal intervals of time.
- Non-uniform Acceleration - When an object is traveling with a uniform increase in velocity but not at equal intervals of time.
Acceleration formulas |
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\(\large{ a = \frac{ \Delta v }{ t } }\) \(\large{ a = \frac{ v_f \;-\; v_i }{ t } }\) |
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| Symbol | English | Metric |
| \(\large{ a }\) = acceleration | \(\large{\frac{ft}{sec^2}}\) | \(\large{\frac{m}{s^2}}\) |
| \(\large{ \Delta v }\) = average velocity |
\(\large{\frac{ft}{sec}}\) | \(\large{\frac{m}{s}}\) |
| \(\large{ t }\) = time | \(\large{sec}\) | \(\large{s}\) |
| \(\large{ v_f }\) = final velocity | \(\large{\frac{ft}{sec}}\) | \(\large{\frac{m}{s}}\) |
| \(\large{ v_i }\) = initial velocity | \(\large{\frac{ft}{sec}}\) | \(\large{\frac{m}{s}}\) |
Tags: Acceleration Equations