Acceleration from Change in Velocity and Change in Time

The Acceleration from Change in Velocity and Change in Time calculator computes the average acceleration based on the change in velocity over a period of time.

INSTRUCTIONS: Choose units and enter the following:

• (Δv) Change in Velocity
• (Δt) Duration of Time

Acceleration (a): The acceleration is returned in meters per second squared (m/s²).  However, this can be automatically converted to compatible units via the pull-down menu.

The Math / Science

This equation computes average acceleration as a ratio of change in velocity over a period of time.  The formula for average average acceleration is:

     a =Δv / Δt

where

• a = average acceleration
• Δv = change in velocity
• Δt = duration of time

In vector notation this can also be represented as the difference between two position vectors:

     `|A_"Avg"|` ^[1] = `(|DeltavecV|)/(Deltat) = |vecv_2 - vecv_1| / (t_2 - t_1)`

1. ^ Young, Hugh and Freeman, Roger.  University Physics With Modern Physics.  Addison-Wesley, 2008. 12th Edition, (ISBN-13: 978-0321500625 ISBN-10: 0321500628 ) Pg 75, eq 3.8