dooky d
Jun 8, 2008, 05:53 PM
I don't no the equation for acceleration and what are the variables
KISS
Jun 8, 2008, 08:45 PM
s=distance
ds/dt = velocity = v
dv/dt = acceleration = a
e.g. if s(t) = 3t; s in miles, t in hours
then v = ds/dt = 3 mph and a = dv/dt = 0
or
if v = 3 mph then s = integral from 0 to t of 3 dt; s= 3t|t=3 - 3t|t=0 --> s= 3t
ebaines
Jun 9, 2008, 11:03 AM
I have a suspicion that the OP is not a calculus student, so let me try to answer the question in simpler terms than KISS did:
Acceleration is the measure of how quickly an object's velocity is changing. It can be calculated from:
a = \frac {\Delta v } {\Delta t}
where \Delta v is change in velocity and \Delta t is change in time . For example, if an object is moving at 10 m/s at time t=0, and at 20 m/s at time t = 5 seconds, then its acceleration is:
a= \frac { (20m/s - 10 m/s)} {5s} = 2 \frac m {s^2}
This approach works fine for cases where acceleration is constant, such as when an object is subjected to a constant force (such as the force of gravity).
Note that the units of acceleration are distance per time squared - typically meters per second per second as in this example, or feet per second squared, or maybe MPH per second. Hope this helps - post back if you have a more specific question.