Linear Acceleration: Definition and Formula

What is linear acceleration?

An object that is moving in a straight line will be accelerating if its velocity is increasing or decreasing during a given period of time. Acceleration can be either positive or negative depending on whether the velocity is increasing or decreasing. A vehicle's motion can help to explain the linear acceleration. The speedometer in the vehcle measures the velocity.

One may help observed that pushing a terminal bus can give it a sudden start. This is because the lift provides an upward push when it starts. Here Velocity changes and this will cause the acceleration. Therefore the acceleration will be described as the rate of change of velocity of an object.

A body's acceleration will be the final result due to all the forces being applied to the body. We also describe it by Newton's Second Law. Acceleration is a vector quantity that is described as the frequency at which the objects velocity changes.

The formula for Linear Acceleration

Acceleration is the rate of change in the velocity towards the time change. We donate it by symbol a, and compute it as -

`a\ = \frac{\triangle V}{Time\Taken}`

`\triangle V` = Change in Velocity

Its unit is meter per second square or `ms^{-2}`

If t (time is taken), v (final velocity) and u (initial velocity) are provided.

Then the acceleration formula

• v = u+at
• `v^2 = u^2+2as`
• `s = ut+\frac{1}{2} at^2`

v = Final Velocity

u = Initial Velocity

a = Acceleration

t = Time Taken