1. Acceleration The rate at which velocity changes.
Remember, velocity is speed in a given direction.
Increasing Speed: A softball accelerates when the pitcher throws it.
Decreasing Speed (Deceleration): A car decelerates when it comes to a stop
Changing Direction: A Ferris wheel accelerates because it is continuously changing direction

2. Calculating Acceleration
The change in velocity during each unit of time.
Acceleration = final velocity – initial velocity
time

3. If velocity is measured in meters/second and time is measured in seconds, the unit of acceleration is meters per second per second. (m/s2)

4. Change In Speed Over Time
Time (s)
Speed (m/s) 1 8 2 16 3 24 4 32 5 40
The speed increases by the same amount each second

5. Acceleration Graph