When we mention
acceleration in everyday language
we usually refer to the rate at which an objects speed is
increasing.
Assume a car's speed is
increasing from 0 to
60 miles per hour in 6s. The car is accelerating.
Is acceleration is 60 mph / 6s = 10mph / s.
In
physics, acceleration is more!
In physics, the
acceleration is the rate at which the velocity changes.
On the football field, whenever a player's velocity changes, he is accelerating.
acceleration = change in velocity / time required to make
that change
or
acceleration = (final velocity - initial velocity) / time required to make
that change
The
velocity of a player can change if he is
speeding up,
slowing down, or
if he is changing direction.
