Acceleration (a) = (Final velocity (vf) - Initial velocity (vi)) / Time (t)
where:
- Acceleration (a) is the rate at which the object's velocity changes over time. It is measured in units such as meters per second squared (m/s²).
- Final velocity (vf) is the velocity of the object at the end of the time interval.
- Initial velocity (vi) is the velocity of the object at the beginning of the time interval.
- Time (t) is the duration over which the velocity change occurs.
To use this formula, you need to know the initial and final velocities of the object, as well as the time interval during which the velocity change takes place. If you have this information, you can simply substitute the values into the formula and calculate the acceleration.
Acceleration can be positive (if the velocity is increasing) or negative (if the velocity is decreasing). A positive acceleration indicates that the object is speeding up, while a negative acceleration indicates that the object is slowing down.
It's important to note that the acceleration calculated using this formula is the average acceleration over the given time interval. If the velocity of the object changes at different rates during the time interval, the instantaneous acceleration at any specific moment may be different from the average acceleration.
