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Acceleration

on . Posted in Classical Mechanics

acceleration 8Acceleration, abbreviated as a, is the rate of change of velocity with time.  Like velocity, this is a vector quantity that has a direction as well as a magnitude.  Whenever a mass experiences a force, an acceleration is acting.  An increase in velocity is commonly called acceleration while a decrease in velocity is deceleration.

Acceleration is a vector quantity having magnitude and direction, some of these include displacement, drag, force, lift, momentum, thrust, torque, velocity and weight.

Acceleration Types

  • Angular Acceleration  -  An object is the rate at which the angle velocity changes with respect to time.
  • Centripetal Acceleration  -  The change in the velocity, which is a vector, either in speed or direction as an object makes its way around a circular path.
  • Constant Acceleration  -  An object is the constant rate in a straight line at which the velocity changes with respect to time.
  • Gravitational Acceleration  -  The force on an object caused only by gravity.
  • Instantaneous Acceleration  -  The acceleration at a particular moment in time along its path.
  • Linear Acceleration  -  The change in linear velocity of an object in a straight line.
  • Tangential Acceleration  -  How much the tangential velocity of a point at a radius changes with time.
  • Uniform Acceleration  -  When an object is traveling in a straight line with a uniform increase in velocity at equal intervals of time.
  • Non-uniform Acceleration  -  When an object is traveling with a uniform increase in velocity but not at equal intervals of time.

 

Acceleration formulas

\(\large{ a = \frac{ \Delta v }{ t }  }\)

\(\large{ a = \frac{ v_f \;-\; v_i }{ t }  }\)
Symbol English Metric
\(\large{ a }\) = acceleration \(\large{\frac{ft}{sec^2}}\) \(\large{\frac{m}{s^2}}\)
\(\large{ \Delta v }\) = average velocity
 \(\large{\frac{ft}{sec}}\) \(\large{\frac{m}{s}}\)
\(\large{ t }\) = time \(\large{sec}\) \(\large{s}\)
\(\large{ v_f }\) = final velocity \(\large{\frac{ft}{sec}}\) \(\large{\frac{m}{s}}\)
\(\large{ v_i }\) = initial velocity \(\large{\frac{ft}{sec}}\) \(\large{\frac{m}{s}}\)

 

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Tags: Acceleration Equations

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