Acceleration is the rate at which an object's velocity changes over time. It's important to note that velocity includes both speed and direction, so acceleration can occur even if the speed remains constant if the direction changes.
Here's a breakdown:
* Positive acceleration: The object speeds up.
* Negative acceleration (deceleration): The object slows down.
* Changing direction: The object changes its direction of motion, even if its speed remains constant.
The SI unit of acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s²). This means that acceleration is measured as the change in velocity (measured in meters per second) divided by the time it takes for that change to occur (measured in seconds).
Example: If a car accelerates from rest to 10 m/s in 2 seconds, its acceleration would be:
* Acceleration = (final velocity - initial velocity) / time
* Acceleration = (10 m/s - 0 m/s) / 2 s
* Acceleration = 5 m/s²
This means the car's velocity increases by 5 meters per second every second.
