Accelration Help: Questions Answered

  • Thread starter NIZBIT
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So, in summary, the conversation is discussing whether acceleration must be negative when slowing down and if it matters if it is accelerating or decelerating when comparing rates of acceleration. It is clarified that acceleration can be positive or negative regardless of the direction of velocity, as it is a vector. The main question is whether the direction of acceleration affects the rate at which it is changing.
  • #1
NIZBIT
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Just a couple of questions I'm banging my head on. Any help would be great!

1. Does your accelration have to be negative when you are slowing down?

If I started in a negative direction back towards my initial frame of reference,
accleration would be positive? But isn't that still speeding up?

2. It is a velocity time graph. I'll explain the best I can. It wants to know which is accelrating faster. It is showing 2 graphs. Graph A is a positive velocity with a positive accleration and it has a small slope so all of this is slowly happening. Graph B is positive velocity with a negative accelration and the slope is larger so it is quickly happening.

So when they ask this does it matter if its acclerating or deaccelerating?
 
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  • #2
1. Think of acceleration as a vector. Does a vector have to be negative?

2. Acceleration is the rate of change of speed with respect to time so when it asks which is accelerating faster do you think it should matter if it is accelerating or decellerating?
 
  • #3
So I could have a negative velocity with a positive accelration hence slowing down?
 
  • #4
I think you've hit the nail on the head.
 

What is acceleration?

Acceleration is the rate of change of an object's velocity over time. It can be calculated by dividing the change in velocity by the change in time.

How is acceleration measured?

Acceleration is typically measured in meters per second squared (m/s²) or feet per second squared (ft/s²). It can be measured using tools such as accelerometers or by using equations and data from motion experiments.

What is the difference between acceleration and velocity?

Velocity is the rate of change of an object's position over time, while acceleration is the rate of change of an object's velocity over time. In other words, velocity describes how fast an object is moving, while acceleration describes how fast an object's velocity is changing.

What is the relationship between acceleration and force?

According to Newton's second law of motion, acceleration is directly proportional to the net force applied to an object and inversely proportional to the mass of the object. This means that a greater force will result in a greater acceleration, while a greater mass will result in a smaller acceleration.

How can acceleration be positive or negative?

Acceleration can be positive or negative depending on the direction of an object's motion. If an object is speeding up, its acceleration will be positive, while if an object is slowing down, its acceleration will be negative. This is also known as a change in velocity in the positive or negative direction.

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