Acceleration

a=\dfrac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}

Result unit: m/s²

What it describes

The rate of change of velocity over time.

a

acceleration

[m/s²]

\Delta v

change in velocity

[m/s]

\Delta t

time

[s]

Acceleration tells you how much the velocity changes each second. Positive — the body speeds up; negative (deceleration) — it slows down.

In non-uniform motion; in uniformly accelerated motion

a=\text{const}

. For free fall

a=g\approx 9.81

m/s².

A car speeds up from 0 to 20 m/s in 5 s. Find its acceleration.

Substitution

\Delta v=20

m/s,

\Delta t=5

Result

a=\dfrac{20}{5}=4

m/s².

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