In general life we can observe so many times the acceleration, For example: There is a forward push when the bus suddenly starts and lift gives upward push when it starts to move upward. So these things happen because of change in velocity which is known as acceleration.
So, Acceleration is defined as the rate at which the velocity is increases by the time. We represent acceleration as “a”.
a = change in velocity
Time taken
Or, a = Vf – Vi
t
Where, Vf = final velocity
And Vi = Initial velocity
S.I unit of acceleration is m/s^2.
Example: A race car accelerates uniformly from 16.5 m/s to 36.1 m/s in 1.47 seconds. Determine the
acceleration of the car and the distance travelled.
Solution: Given that,
Final velocity, v2 = 36.1 m/s
Initial velocity, v1 = 16.5 m/s
Time taken, t = 1.47 sec
Using the equation of acceleratio
Acceleration, a = (v2 – v1)/t = (36.1 – 16.5)/1.47
= 13.33 m/s^2
Example: A bike accelerates uniformly from rest to a speed of 5.10 m/s in 2.5 sec. Determine the
acceleration of the bike.
Solution: Given that,
Final velocity, v2 = 5.10 m/s
Initial velocity, v1 = 0 m/s
Time taken, t = 2.5 sec
Using the equation of acceleration,
Acceleration, a = (v2 – v1)/t = (5.10 – 0)/2.5 = 2.04 m/s^2.