ACCELERATION Flashcards
What is velocity?
the velocity of an object is it’s speed in a given direction.
How is velocity a vector quanity?
It has both magnitude and direction.
What is acceleration?
The acceleration of an object is the change in it’s velocity over a given time.
How do you calculate acceleration? (m/s^2)
change in velocity (m/s)
÷
time (s)
Which part of a velocity time graph shows the acceleration of the object?
The gradient
What if the gradient on a velocity time graph is horizontal?
The object must be travelling at a constant velocity.
What if the gradient on a velocity time graph is an upward sloping line?
The object must be accelerating
What if the gradient on a velocity time graph is a downward sloping line?
The object must be decelerating
How do you calculate the acceleration in the first part of an upward sloping line in a velocity graph?
final velocity - initial velocity
÷
time
What does a negative answer to an acceleration equation mean?
That the object was decelerating.
How do you find the displacement from a velocity time graph?
The total area under the graph tells us the distance travelled in a specific direction.
How do you find out the total area?
Divide the accelerations and decelerations into shapes and calculate their area separately, then add it up.
