Thread: acceleration (small question)

Originally Posted by davej

How do you figure that?

In common speech it's as you said, but in physics the definition is
Δv / Δt
(change in velocity divided by the time used for the change)

hhmmm learned something new. that's interesting. never knew it could go both ways. I can wait to have some people in the car and say something like I had better accelerate before i get to the stop sign HA HA

make it easier for him to take in.

if something is getting slower it can be called decceleration or acceleration but with a negative value

Originally Posted by slash112

make it easier for him to take in.

if something is getting slower it can be called decceleration or acceleration but with a negative value

Makes sense

Originally Posted by davej

hhmmm learned something new. that's interesting. never knew it could go both ways. I can wait to have some people in the car and say something like I had better accelerate before i get to the stop sign HA HA

If you really want to confuse them, then have a look at this:

Acceleration also can mean a change in direction. When you turn, you are technically accelerating.

acceleration is a change in the velocity vector. Think of the velocity vector an arrow. It's significance is that if the object was to continue in motion exactly as it is doing at a given instant, then it would travel the length of the arrow in the direction that the arrow is pointing in some unit time. obviously, changing the unit of time changes the length of the arrow.