* Velocity is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (speed) and direction.
* Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. It can be a change in speed, a change in direction, or both.
* Deceleration is often used to describe a decrease in *speed*, but it's technically a specific case of acceleration where the acceleration vector is in the opposite direction to the velocity vector.
Applying this to a falling object:
* When an object falls, its velocity is increasing in magnitude. This means its speed is increasing.
* The object is accelerating due to gravity. Gravity acts downwards, constantly pulling the object faster.
* While the velocity is becoming more negative (due to the downward direction), we don't typically call this deceleration. This is because the object is accelerating in the same direction as its velocity.
Think of it like this:
* Imagine a car driving forward and speeding up. It's accelerating.
* If the car slams on the brakes, it's decelerating (speeding up in the opposite direction to its motion).
In the case of a falling object, it's continuously speeding up in the same direction as its velocity. Therefore, it's accelerating, not decelerating.
Key takeaway: While the velocity of a falling object becomes more negative, it's still accelerating because its speed is increasing.
