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Dictionary:

acceleration

  (ăk-sĕl'ə-rā'shən) pronunciation
n.
    1. The act of accelerating.
    2. The process of being accelerated.
  1. (Abbr. a) Physics. The rate of change of velocity with respect to time.

 
 
Sci-Tech Encyclopedia: Acceleration

The time rate of change of velocity. Since velocity is a directed or vector quantity involving both magnitude and direction, a velocity may change by a change of magnitude (speed) or by a change of direction or both. It follows that acceleration is also a directed, or vector, quantity. If the magnitude of the velocity of a body changes from v1 ft/s to v2 ft/s in t seconds, then the average acceleration a has a magnitude given by Eq. (1):
1. a = \frac{\rm velocity\,\, change}{\rm elapsed\,\, time} = \frac{v_2 - v_1}{t_2 - t_1} = \frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}
To designate it fully the direction should be given, as well as the magnitude. See also Velocity.

Instantaneous acceleration is defined as the limit of the ratio of the velocity change to the elapsed time as the time interval approaches zero. When the acceleration is constant, the average acceleration and the instantaneous acceleration are equal.

Whenever a body is acted upon by an unbalanced force, it will undergo acceleration. If it is moving in a constant direction, the acting force will produce a continuous change in speed. If it is moving with a constant speed, the acting force will produce an acceleration consisting of a continuous change of direction. In the general case, the acting force may produce both a change of speed and a change of direction.

Angular acceleration is a vector quantity representing the rate of change of angular velocity of a body experiencing rotational motion. If, for example, at an instant t1, a rigid body is rotating about an axis with an angular velocity ω1, and at a later time t2, it has an angular velocity ω2, the average angular acceleration α is given by Eq. (2), in radians per second per second.
2. \overline{\alpha} = \frac{\omega_{2} - \omega_{1}}{t_2 - t_1} = \frac{\Delta \omega}{\Delta t}
The instantaneous angular acceleration is given by α = dω/dt.

When a body moves in a circular path with constant linear speed at each point in its path, it is also being constantly accelerated toward the center of the circle under the action of the force required to constrain it to move in its circular path. This acceleration toward the center of path is called radial acceleration. The component of linear acceleration tangent to the path of a particle subject to an angular acceleration about the axis of rotation is called tangential acceleration. See also Rotational motion.


 
Business Dictionary: Acceleration

In real estate law: (1) hastening of the time for enjoyment of a remainder interest due to the premature termination of a preceding estate; and (2) process by which, under the terms of a Mortgage or similar obligation, an entire debt is to be regarded as due upon the borrower's failure to pay a single installment or to fulfill some other duty. See also Acceleration Clause.

 
Antonyms: acceleration

n

Definition: increasing speed, timing
Antonyms: deceleration, deferral, hindrance, retardation, slowing down


 

Rate of change of velocity. Acceleration, like velocity, is a vector quantity: it has both magnitude and direction. The velocity of an object moving on a straight path can change in magnitude only, so its acceleration is the rate of change of its speed. On a curved path, the velocity may or may not change in magnitude, but it will always change in direction, which means that the acceleration of an object moving on a curved path can never be zero. If velocity is stated in metres per second (m/s) and the time interval in seconds (s), then the units of acceleration are metres per second per second (m/s/s, or m/s2). See also centripetal acceleration.

For more information on acceleration, visit Britannica.com.

 
Architecture: acceleration


1. The rate of change of the velocity of a moving body.
2. The rate of change, esp. the quickening of the natural progress of a process, such as hardening, setting, or strength development of concrete.


 

The rate of change in velocity or the change in velocity occurring over a given time interval: acceleration = change of velocity/time. It is usually expressed as metres per second squared (ms−2). When an object speeds up, slows down, starts, stops, or changes direction, it is accele rating. Acceleration can be positive or negative. See also acceleration, law of.

 
Columbia Encyclopedia: acceleration,
change in the velocity of a body with respect to time. Since velocity is a vector quantity, involving both magnitude and direction, acceleration is also a vector. In order to produce an acceleration, a force must be applied to the body. The magnitude of the force F must be directly proportional to both the mass of the body m and the desired acceleration a, according to Newton's second law of motion, F=ma. The exact nature of the acceleration produced depends on the relative directions of the original velocity and the force. A force acting in the same direction as the velocity changes only the speed of the body. An appropriate force acting always at right angles to the velocity changes the direction of the velocity but not the speed. An example of such an accelerating force is the gravitational force exerted by a planet on a satellite moving in a circular orbit. A force may also act in the opposite direction from the original velocity. In this case the speed of the body is decreased. Such an acceleration is often referred to as a deceleration. If the acceleration is constant, as for a body falling near the earth, the following formulas may be used to compute the acceleration a of a body from knowledge of the elapsed time t, the distance s through which the body moves in that time, the initial velocity vi, and the final velocity vf:
a=(vf2vi2)/2s
a =2(svit)/t2
a =(vfvi)/t


 
Law Encyclopedia: Acceleration
This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

A hastening; a shortening of the time until some event takes place.

A person who has the right to take possession of property at some future time may have that right accelerated if the present holder loses his or her legal right to the property. If a life estate fails for any reason, the remainder is accelerated.

The principle of acceleration can be applied when it becomes clear that one party to a contract is not going to perform his or her obligations. Anticipatory repudiation, or the possibility of future breach, makes it possible to move the right to remedies back to the time of repudiation rather than to wait for the time when performance would be due and an actual breach would occur.

 
Science Dictionary: acceleration

A change in the velocity of an object.

  • The most familiar kind of acceleration is a change in the speed of an object. An object that stays at the same speed but changes direction, however, is also being accelerated. (See force.)
  •  
    Wikipedia: acceleration
    Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity and/or direction, and at any point on a velocity-time graph, it is given by the slope of the tangent to the curve at that point.
    Enlarge
    Acceleration is the time rate of change of velocity and/or direction, and at any point on a velocity-time graph, it is given by the slope of the tangent to the curve at that point.

    In physics, acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity, or, equivalently, as the second derivative of position. It is thus a vector quantity with dimension length/time². In SI units, acceleration is measured in metres/second² (m·s-²). The term "acceleration" generally refers to the change in instantaneous velocity.



    Relation to relativity

    After completing his theory of special relativity, Albert Einstein realized that forces felt by objects undergoing constant proper acceleration are indistinguishable from those in a gravitational field. This was the basis for his development of general relativity, a relativistic theory of gravity.

    This is also the basis for the popular Twin paradox, which asks why one twin ages more rapidly when moving away from his sibling at near light-speed and then returning, since the aging twin can say that it is the other twin that was moving. 
    

    General relativity solved the "why does only one object feel accelerated?" problem which had plagued philosophers and scientists since Newton's time (and caused Newton to endorse absolute space). In special relativity, only inertial frames of reference (non-accelerated frames) can be used and are equivalent; general relativity considers all frames, even accelerated ones, to be equivalent. (The path from these considerations to the full theory of general relativity is traced in the Introduction to general relativity.)

    Formulas

    The formula for acceleration is \frac{V_{final}-V_{initial}}{\Delta t}

    (Final Velocity - Initial Velocity / Total Time Taken)

    See also

    References

    • Serway, Raymond A.; Jewett, John W. (2004). Physics for Scientists and Engineers, 6th ed., Brooks/Cole. ISBN 0-534-40842-7. 
    • Tipler, Paul (2004). Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics, Oscillations and Waves, Thermodynamics, 5th ed., W. H. Freeman. ISBN 0-7167-0809-4. 

      External links


      Kinematics

      Integrate ... Differentiate
      Displacement (Distance) | Velocity (Speed) | Acceleration | Jerk | Snap

      nov:Akseleratione


       
      Translations: Translations for: Acceleration

      Dansk (Danish)
      n. - acceleration, hastighedsforøgelse

      Nederlands (Dutch)
      versnelling, bespoediging

      Français (French)
      n. - accélération, (Fin) (clause) d'accélération, (Fin) remboursement, par déchéance du terme

      Deutsch (German)
      n. - Beschleunigung, Vorverlegung, Akzeleration

      Ελληνική (Greek)
      n. - επιτάχυνση, επίσπευση

      Italiano (Italian)
      accelerazione

      Português (Portuguese)
      n. - aceleração (f)

      Русский (Russian)
      ускорение

      Español (Spanish)
      n. - aceleración

      Svenska (Swedish)
      n. - acceleration

      中文(简体) (Chinese (Simplified))
      加速, 加速度, 促进

      中文(繁體) (Chinese (Traditional))
      n. - 加速, 加速度, 促進

      한국어 (Korean)
      n. - 촉진, 가속도

      日本語 (Japanese)
      n. - 加速, 促進, 加速度

      العربيه (Arabic)
      ‏(الاسم) تسريع, تعجيل‏

      עברית (Hebrew)
      n. - ‮תאוצה, האצה‬


       
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      Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
      Sci-Tech Encyclopedia. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. Copyright © 2005 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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      Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
      Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
      Sports Science and Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.  Read more
      Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/  Read more
      Law Encyclopedia. West's Encyclopedia of American Law. Copyright © 1998 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
      Science Dictionary. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
      Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Acceleration" Read more
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