Question

How can you calculate the acceleration of an object from its speed or velocity?

Answer 1

To calculate the acceleration of an object from its speed or velocity, you need additional information such as the object's initial velocity or the time interval over which the velocity changes. The acceleration can be calculated using the following equation:

$a=\frac{v-u}{t}$

Where:

• $a$ is the acceleration
• $v$ is the final velocity
• $u$ is the initial velocity
• $t$ is the time interval

If you have the initial velocity ($u$), final velocity ($v$), and time interval ($t$), you can directly substitute those values into the equation to calculate the acceleration.

However, if you only have the object's speed (magnitude of velocity) and not the direction, you will need to consider the sign or direction of the velocities. In such cases, the equation becomes:

$a=\frac{\Delta v}{t}$

Where:

• $a$ is the acceleration
• $\Delta v$ is the change in velocity ($\Delta v=v-u$)
• $t$ is the time interval

By substituting the values of $\Delta v$ and $t$ into the equation, you can determine the acceleration of the object.