How to Find Average Acceleration
Three Parts:Physics PreparationFind VelocityAverage Acceleration Formula
Finding the acceleration of a moving object calculates its change in velocity, both a change in speed and direction. You can find the average acceleration to determine the average velocity of the object over a period of time. Acceleration is an important concept in physics, so you can learn how to find average acceleration by using the formula below.
EditSteps
EditPart 1 of 3: Physics Preparation
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1Take out a pencil and paper.Ad -
2Find a calculator. It can help with achieving an accurate decimal answer, rather than a simple ratio. -
3Identify your physics problem. Underline important numbers like the velocity, elapsed time and speed.
EditPart 2 of 3: Find Velocity
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1Find the initial and final velocity of the object. Make sure you do not confuse velocity with speed.- Speed is a scalar quantity, or simply how fast an object is moving. Velocity is a vector quantity, which calculates the rate that an object changes position. If an object returns to the initial starting point, it doesn't have velocity, because it didn't change position.
EditPart 3 of 3: Average Acceleration Formula
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1Write down the average acceleration formula. This is Average Acceleration= Change in Velocity/Change in Time. -
2Gather your initial velocity, final velocity and minutes or hours that the object was in motion. Make sure your initial velocity, final velocity and minutes are in the same units, such as meters per second.- If your velocity figures and time are in different units, you will need to convert them to the proper unit by multiplying or dividing the ratio using the proper larger or smaller equivalent unit.
- The time is often given simply as minutes or hours; however, you may have to calculate the time if you are given time on a clock.
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3Plug your numbers into the formula. Write the formula as follows: Average Acceleration: (Final Velocity-Initial Velocity)/Time Elapsed.- For example, if the object is in motion for 15 seconds with an initial velocity of zero and a final velocity of 4 m/s you would write Average Acceleration= (4 m/s-0 m/s)/15 seconds.
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4Solve for your answer.- In our example, it would be 0.26 m/s^2. The answer is written as meters per second squared.
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EditThings You'll Need
- Physics problem
- Paper and pencil
- Calculator
- Initial velocity
- Final velocity
- Time
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Article Info
Categories: Driving Techniques | Cars & Other Vehicles
Recent edits by: RG Dhruv Parikh, Hasbeen400, Teresa
In other languages:
Español: Cómo calcular la aceleración media, Русский: рассчитать среднее ускорение, Italiano: Come Trovare l'Accelerazione Media, Português: Como Encontrar a Aceleração Média
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