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Wiki User
Answered 2009-05-21 13:38:58
Acceleration is a vector. It has both a magnitude and a direction. So you first have to choose which direction is positive. Lets say we choose "left" as negative and "right" as positive. If an object is increasing speed (positive magnitude) while moving Right (positive direction) its acceleration is Positive' If an object is decreasing speed (negative magnitude) while moving Right (positive direction) its acceleration is Negative. If an object is increasing speed (positive) while moving Left (negative direction) its acceleration is Negative. If an object is decreasing speed (negative) while moving Left (negative) its acceleration is Positive. For vertical motion you would probably choose "up" as positive and "down" as negative.
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How is a negative acceleration different from a positive acceleration?
Actually, it depends on how you define the coordinate axes, but usually when moving forward, negative acceleration decreasesspeed, positive acceleration increasesit.
Can there be a positive acceleration and a negative acceleration?
Yes, acceleration can be positive and negative because acceleration is a vector. It has both direction and magnitude. The direction is what makes it positive or negative. Negative acceleration is usually called deceleration.
What is negative and positive acceleration?
Positive acceleration = speeding up. Negative acceleration = slowing down.
How does positive acceleration and negative acceleration affect motion?
positive acceleration helps to increase the velocity for positive direction while negative acceleration resists the motion.
Can a body have negative velocity and positive acceleration?
no a body can only have positive velocity .sometimes it have negative acceleration
Difference between negative and positive acceration?
Positive acceleration ==> speeding up Negative acceleration ==> slowing down
What is positive and negative acceleration?
Positive is speeding up and negative is slowing down
Can the velocity of an object be positive and acceleration negative?
Yes. An object slowing down but still moving in a positive direction has a positive velocity but a negative acceleration.
Does acceleration have a negative or positive value if the velocity is increasing speed?
In this case, acceleration is positive. Negative acceleration would cause the object to slow down (decelerate.)
Why is acceleration due to gravity negative?
It is negative if the upwards direction is defined as positive. Acceleration is downward.
Is retardation positive or negative acceleration?
Retardation or deceleration is negative acceleration. It is opposite to the direction of velocity.
Explain how positive and negative acceleration affect motion?
when the acceleration of the body is positive its mean that its velocity is increasing and the speed of the motion also increases and speed will decrease when acceleration is negative.
When can you used the positive acceleration due to gravity and negative acceleration due to gravity?
If you define the "up" direction as "positive", then the acceleration is negative, because it is downward. If you define "down" as positive, then acceleration is negative. You can use any convention; just be sure to be consistent within a particular calculation, to avoid errors.
What kind of acceleration means that an object is either speeding up in a positive direction or slowing down in a negative direction?
These two cases are represented by "positive" acceleration. The opposite cases (slowing down in the positive direction or speeding up in the negative direction) are represented by "negative" acceleration.
What is positive negative and zero acceleration is?
positive acceleration is when things speed up; negative acceleration is when things slow down; and zero acceleration is when things do not speed up or slow down, this is called constant speed, or no change in velocity.
Explain the difference between positive and negative acceleration?
Positive acceleration results in the object speeding up, such as a car going from 0mph to 30mph. Negative acceleration is the object decelerating, such as using the brake in a car.
Is acceleration a rate?
It is a negative and positive rate of change.
When acceleration upward or downward direction is taken positivw or negative?
If it is gravitational acceleration then it it is positive in downward and negative in upward direction..if it is not gravitational acceleration then it is depending upon the value of acceleration.
When is acceleration due to gravity negative and positive?
Acceleration due to gravity is negative when an object is moving up. Accl'n due to gravity is positive when an object is moving down (since gravity acts downwards on an object). ^Acceleration due to gravity is always negative, while the acceleration of the ball upward was positive due to what threw it, not gravity.
What is the difference between negative acceleration and positive acceleration?
You arbitrarily define a direction to be positive and the direction opposite to it is then negative. Measurements in the first direction are positive and those in the second are negative. For example, if you are considering the motion of a ball that is thrown upwards, you could choose the upward direction to be positive. Then the initial velocity of the ball would be positive but the acceleration due to gravity (which is acting in the downward direction) would be negative acceleration. But you could, instead, choose to call the downward direction positive. In that case, the initial velocity of the ball would be negative and the acceleration due to gravity would be positive acceleration. So it is all relative. Another way to look at it is that if the object being studied is slowing down it is negative acceleration and if it is speeding up it is positive. [Unfortunately that does not work with the above example because the object is slowing down initially and then speeding up.]
Where could you find negative numbers?
If an altitude above sea level is positive, then an altitude below sea level is negative.If having money is positive, having a debt is negative.If gaining money is positive, losing money is negative (a negative gain).If an increase in speed is a positive acceleration, a decrease in speed is a negative acceleration.Any other similar case, where you define one thing as positive, and its opposite as negative.
What is the difference between negative and positive acceleration?
Positive acceleration means the magnitude of velocity is increasing,i.e. something is speeding up.Negative acceleration means the magnitude of velocity is decreasing,i.e. something is slowing down.
Can a man in a parachute accelerate?
Yes. Acceleration can be positive or negative. When he jumps out of the airplane and is in free fall, he is accelerating in a downward direction, so his acceleration is negative. When he opens his parachute, he accelerates in an upward direction, so his acceleration is positive.
When your slowing down is your acceleration positive or negative?
it is peice of my mind
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