Acceleration+2

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 * What is Acceleration?


 * Calculating Acceleration


 * Graphing Acceleration

What is Acceleration?

Acceleration means "the process of speeding up" (Jones). **Acceleration is the rate at which velocity changes. ​** Acceleration is specified by a number and a direction. It is usually measured in units such as meters per second per second, or meters per second squared. For a cool activity to show acceleration, go to []. ​The three ways an object can accelerate are increasing speed, decreasing speed, and changing direction. Whenever and object's speed increases, the object accelerates. For example, a softball accelerates when a pitcher throws it, and when again when a ball hits it. When an object decreases speed it decelerates or negetivley accelerates. For example, when a softball is caught by a fielders it loses all its acceleration. When an object changes direction, it gains speed. For example, when a softball thrown by the pitcher is hit by the batter it changes direction and gains speed.







media type="custom" key="6187727" There is actually no difference between gravity and acceleration that we can see, feel, or touch (Fleisher). An example of this is that when you are on a spaceship going upward, the force of the acceleration pushes you against the floor, just as you are pushed back in your seat when a car accelerates (Fleisher). Galileo made a water clock that showed how velocity increased as the ball moved down the slope. In other words, the force of gravity produced a steady acceleration on the ball (Gravity). Galileo's water clock is an example of Galileo's Law of Free Fall (Hakim).

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Calculating Acceleration

The equation for acceleration is

Vf means Final velocity and Vo means Initial velocity and t means time. First you subtract Vo from Vf. Then you divide the difference by the time and you get the acceleration rate.

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Graphing Acceleration

'"You can use both a speed-versus-time graph and a distance-versus-time graph to analyze the motion of an accelerating object." (Pearson).

The equation for a speed-versus-time graph is Slope= Rise divided by Run





Speed vs. Time= Speed goes on the y-axis and time goes on the x-axis

Distance vs. Time= Distance goes on the y-axis and time on the x-axis

Work Cited

Jones, T.Griffith. Boston,Massachusetts: Pearson, 2009.

Fleisher, Paul. __Relativity and Quantum Mechanics__. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications Company. 2002.

"Forces and Acceleration". __Physics Matters! Volume 2: Mechanics__. 2001 ed.

"Gravity". __Encyclopedia of Science__. 1991.

Hakim, Joy. __The Story of Science__. Washington: Smithsonian Books. 2005