Section Summary
3.1
Acceleration
- Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. Its magnitude is expressed in units of m/s2.
- The components of acceleration may be positive or negative.
3.2
Representing Acceleration with Equations and Graphs
- The kinematic equations show how time, displacement, velocity, and acceleration are related for objects in motion.
- In general, kinematic problems can be solved by identifying the kinematic equation that expresses the unknown in terms of the knowns.
- Displacement, velocity, and acceleration may be displayed graphically versus time.
- The kinematic equations in this section are valid only for constant acceleration.