Acceleration

Acceleration is the rate of change of an object's velocity over time. It can be a change in speed, direction, or both. When an object speeds up, slows down, or changes direction, it is experiencing acceleration.

Types of Acceleration

There are two main types of acceleration:

Linear acceleration: This occurs when an object speeds up or slows down in a straight line.
Angular acceleration: This occurs when an object changes its direction of motion, such as when a car goes around a curve.

Acceleration Formula

The formula for acceleration is:

Acceleration (a) = Change in velocity (Δv) / Time taken (Δt)

Units of Acceleration

The standard unit of acceleration in the metric system is meters per second squared (m/s²). In the English system, it is feet per second squared (ft/s²).

Calculating Acceleration

To calculate acceleration, you can use the following formula:

Acceleration (a) = (Final velocity - Initial velocity) / Time

Acceleration and Velocity-Time Graphs

On a velocity-time graph, the acceleration of an object is represented by the slope of the line. A steeper slope indicates a greater acceleration, while a shallower slope indicates a lower acceleration.

Study Guide

Here are some key points to remember about acceleration:

Acceleration is the rate of change of an object's velocity over time.
It can be a change in speed, direction, or both.
The formula for acceleration is: Acceleration (a) = Change in velocity (Δv) / Time taken (Δt)
The standard unit of acceleration in the metric system is meters per second squared (m/s²).
On a velocity-time graph, the acceleration is represented by the slope of the line.

◂Science Worksheets and Study Guides Second Grade. What is science?

Vocabulary/Answer key

What is science?

The resources above cover the following skills:

LIFE SCIENCE

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE

Earth’s Systems

Make observations from media to obtain information about Earth’s events that happen over a short period of time (e.g., tornados, volcanic explosions, earthquakes) or over a time period longer than one can observe (e.g., erosion of rocks, melting of glaciers).

Collect and evaluate data to identify water found on Earth and determine whether it is a solid or a liquid (e.g., glaciers as solid forms of water; oceans, lakes, rivers, streams as liquid forms of water).