Acceleration

• What is the definition of velocity?

  Speed in a given direction
• Why is velocity considered a vector quantity?

  It has both magnitude and direction
• What does acceleration tell us about an object's velocity?

  Change in velocity over a given time
• How is acceleration calculated?

  Change in velocity divided by time
• What is the unit of acceleration?

  m/s²
• What is the change in velocity if a car accelerates from 15 m/s to 35 m/s?

  20 m/s
• If a car accelerates from 15 m/s to 35 m/s in 20 seconds, what is its acceleration?

  1 m/s²
• What does an acceleration of 1 m/s² mean for the car?

  Increases velocity by 1 m/s every second
• What is the acceleration of a cyclist who slows from 6 m/s to 0 in 12 seconds?

  -0.5 m/s²
• What does a negative acceleration indicate?

  The object is decelerating
• What does the gradient of a velocity-time graph represent?

  Acceleration of the object
• What does a horizontal line on a velocity-time graph indicate?

  Constant velocity
• What does an upward sloping line on a velocity-time graph show?

  The object is accelerating
• What does a downward sloping line on a velocity-time graph indicate?

  The object is decelerating
• How do you calculate acceleration from a velocity-time graph?

  Subtract initial velocity from final velocity
• If the final velocity is 15 m/s and the initial velocity is 0 over 100 seconds, what is the acceleration?

  0.15 m/s²
• What is the acceleration if the final velocity is 0 m/s and the initial velocity is 50 m/s over 300 seconds?

  -0.5 m/s²
• What does the area under a velocity-time graph represent?

  • Distance traveled
  • Displacement in a specific direction
• How do you calculate the total area under a velocity-time graph with constant acceleration or deceleration?

  1. Divide the graph into shapes
  2. Calculate the area of each shape
  3. Sum the areas for total distance
• What is the area of a triangle with an area of 750 on a velocity-time graph?

  750
• What is the area of a rectangle with an area of 1500 on a velocity-time graph?

  1500
• What is the area of a triangle with an area of 2250 on a velocity-time graph?

  2250
• What is the total distance if the areas of three shapes are 750, 1500, and 2250?

  4500 m
• How do you estimate the total area under a graph with non-constant acceleration or deceleration?

  Count squares and estimate partial squares
• If there are 15 complete squares and approximately 5 partial squares under a graph, what is the total number of squares?

  20 squares
• What is the total distance if each square has an area of 250 and there are 20 squares?

  5000 m