Here's a breakdown:
* Velocity: Velocity is a measure of an object's speed and direction.
* Change in Velocity: This is the difference between the object's final velocity and its initial velocity.
* Time Interval: This is the duration over which the velocity changes.
Formula:
Average acceleration (a) is calculated using the following formula:
```
a = (v_f - v_i) / Δt
```
where:
* a is the average acceleration
* v_f is the final velocity
* v_i is the initial velocity
* Δt is the time interval
Units:
The standard unit for acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s²).
Example:
Imagine a car starting from rest (initial velocity = 0 m/s) and accelerating to a final velocity of 20 m/s in 5 seconds. To calculate the average acceleration:
* v_i = 0 m/s
* v_f = 20 m/s
* Δt = 5 s
```
a = (20 m/s - 0 m/s) / 5 s = 4 m/s²
```
This means the car's velocity increased by 4 meters per second every second during those 5 seconds.
Important Note: Average acceleration doesn't tell us how the acceleration varied over the time interval. It's simply an average value for the entire duration.
