Understanding Acceleration
Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity over time. It's calculated using the following formula:
* Acceleration (a) = (Final Velocity (vf) - Initial Velocity (vi)) / Time (t)
Applying the Formula
1. Convert Units: Since we're working with acceleration, it's helpful to convert miles per second to meters per second (m/s) to use standard units.
* 1 mile ≈ 1609.34 meters
* Initial velocity (vi) = 5 miles/s * 1609.34 m/mile ≈ 8046.7 m/s
* Final velocity (vf) = 15 miles/s * 1609.34 m/mile ≈ 24140.1 m/s
2. Plug in the values:
* a = (24140.1 m/s - 8046.7 m/s) / 6 s
3. Calculate the acceleration:
* a ≈ 2682.23 m/s²
Important Note: The acceleration you calculated is extremely high, far exceeding the acceleration capabilities of any normal car. This is because the initial and final speeds are unrealistic for a car.
