Can you accelerate and keep the same speed?

Answer 1

Acceleration means any change in either speed or direction of motion.

If speed remains constant, there may still be acceleration present if the

direction of the motion is changing.

If the rate at which speed and/or direction are changing remains constant,

then the acceleration is constant

Answer 2

An object changing its velocity by 10 m/s in each consecutive second is known as

constant acceleration since the velocity is changing by a constant amount each second. Although an object with a constant acceleration should not be confused with an object with a constant velocity.

Answer 3

"Acceleration" means a change of speed or direction of motion, or both.

If you change direction ... like turning a corner ... then there is acceleration,

even though your speed is constant.

Anything traveling on a circular track, even at a constant speed, has constant

acceleration.

Answer 4

Not normally, but there is a case where it can happen. Imagine a cannonball fired horizontally from the top of a mountain. It accelerates toward earth at a constant 9.8 m/s^2 while increasing in speed as it falls until it reaches terminal velocity. Now, imagine the canon ball is the space shuttle, and has a rocket on it, and it maintains enough "escape" velocity so that the shuttle continues to experience the force of acceleration toward the earth, but is held at a constant altitude by its propulsion system. This works because the planet is round. If the world were flat, the rocket would of course crash. The short answer is that as long as the object moves at or slightly above escape velocity from a gravitational body, you will be "falling" - accelerating - toward Earth with a constant speed. This only happens in this situation, where escape velocity and a large gravity well are involved. At all other speeds, once you've stopped accelerating, your speed will remain constant.

Answer 5

If you're travelling at a constant speed then you don't go any faster or slower.

Acceleration, however, is change in velocity, and velocity is speed in a given direction. You can travel at a constant speed but be changing direction, (such as making a turn), and thus be accelerating.

Answer 6

Yes. "Acceleration" does NOT mean 'speeding up'.

Acceleration is ANY change in speed or direction of motion So, for example,

a point on the tire of a car cruising down the street is constantly accelerating,

because the direction of its motion is constantly changing. Another example

is a TV satellite in a circular orbit. It's constantly accelerating, for the same

reason.

Any object that's NOT moving at a constant speed and in a straight line is

accelerating.

Answer 7

A change in the vector or direction that you are traveling is considered an acceleration; even if you don't change speed. This would be the case for going around in a merry-go-round, e.g. You are accelerating (changing direction), but the speed is constant (velocity is changing).

Answer 8

Yes. You can travel in a circle at constant speed, but you would still be accelerating because your direction would be changing constantly.