How to Find the Magnitude of Acceleration for a 13-Year-Old Student

Understanding Acceleration

Acceleration is how quickly an object's velocity changes over time. It tells us if the object is speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction.

Step-by-Step Guide to Find the Magnitude of Acceleration

1. Know the velocity change: Velocity is speed with direction. Find the starting velocity (initial velocity, v_i) and the ending velocity (final velocity, v_f) of the object.
2. Find the time taken: Determine the total time (t) over which the velocity changes.
3. Use the acceleration formula: Acceleration (a) is the change in velocity divided by time.
   a = (v_f - v_i) / t
4. Calculate the magnitude: The magnitude of acceleration means how big the acceleration is, without considering direction. If the answer is negative, just ignore the minus sign.
   |a| = |(v_f - v_i) / t|

Example

Imagine a car speeding up from 10 meters per second to 20 meters per second in 5 seconds. What is the magnitude of its acceleration?

• Initial velocity, v_i = 10 m/s
• Final velocity, v_f = 20 m/s
• Time, t = 5 s

Using the formula:
a = (20 - 10) / 5 = 10 / 5 = 2 m/s²

Magnitude of acceleration = 2 meters per second squared.

Summary

To find the magnitude of acceleration, subtract the initial velocity from the final velocity, divide by the time, and take the absolute value (ignore any negative sign).