Section Summary

Acceleration

• Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. Its magnitude is expressed in units of m/s².
• The components of acceleration may be positive or negative.

Representing Acceleration with Equations and Graphs

• The kinematic equations show how time, displacement, velocity, and acceleration are related for objects in motion.
• In general, kinematic problems can be solved by identifying the kinematic equation that expresses the unknown in terms of the knowns.
• Displacement, velocity, and acceleration may be displayed graphically versus time.
• The kinematic equations in this section are valid only for constant acceleration.