* Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. Velocity is measured in meters per second (m/s).
* Rate of change means how much something changes over time. Time is measured in seconds (s).
Therefore, acceleration is the change in velocity (m/s) divided by the change in time (s). This can be written as:
(m/s) / s = m/s²
In simpler terms:
* Meters per second (m/s) describes how fast something is moving.
* Meters per second squared (m/s²) describes how quickly the speed of that object is changing.
Example:
Imagine a car accelerating from 0 to 10 meters per second in 2 seconds.
* Velocity change: 10 m/s - 0 m/s = 10 m/s
* Time change: 2 seconds
* Acceleration: (10 m/s) / (2 s) = 5 m/s²
The car is accelerating at 5 meters per second *squared*. This means its speed is increasing by 5 meters per second every second.
