Instantaneous acceleration

Definition

Instantaneous acceleration is the rate of change of velocity at a specific moment in time. It is a vector quantity and can be found as the derivative of velocity with respect to time.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Instantaneous acceleration is given by $a(t) = \frac{dv}{dt}$, where $v$ is velocity and $t$ is time.
2. It has both magnitude and direction, making it a vector quantity.
3. Instantaneous acceleration can be positive (speeding up) or negative (slowing down).
4. It can be determined graphically by finding the slope of the tangent to the velocity-time graph at a given point.
5. In uniform motion, instantaneous acceleration is zero; in uniformly accelerated motion, it remains constant.

Review Questions

• What mathematical operation do you perform on velocity to find instantaneous acceleration?
• How can you determine instantaneous acceleration from a velocity-time graph?
• Explain how instantaneous acceleration differs in uniform motion versus uniformly accelerated motion.

Related terms

Velocity:

The rate of change of displacement with respect to time. It is also a vector quantity.

Displacement:

The change in position of an object. It is a vector quantity that points from the initial to the final position.

Uniformly Accelerated Motion: Motion where the acceleration remains constant over time.