Acceleration
Learning Objectives
- Students will understand acceleration as change in velocity over time
- Students will calculate acceleration from velocity and time data
- Students will recognize that acceleration is a vector quantity
Core Concepts
- Acceleration: rate of change of velocity
- Acceleration due to change in speed OR direction or both
- Uniform acceleration: constant acceleration
Formulas
$$a = \frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}$$
Rate of change of velocity
$$a = \frac{v_f - v_i}{t}$$
Acceleration from initial and final velocities
Units
| meter per second squared | m/s² |
Interesting Fact
Acceleration due to gravity (g = 9.8 m/s²) affects all objects equally, regardless of mass
Key Scientist
Galileo Galilei
Studied uniformly accelerated motion and free fall
Ancient Wisdom
Hindu philosophy's concept of gunas (three modes of nature) includes movement/acceleration as fundamental to change and transformation.
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