Acceleration Formula

You might have observed forward push when bus suddenly starts. Lift gives upward push when
it starts. This is what acceleration is! Here Velocity changes. Hence the body accelerates.

Acceleration is the rate of change in velocity to the change in time. I t is represented by symbol
a and is given by

The S.I unit for Acceleration is meters per second square or m/s
2
.

If initial velocity u, final velocity v time taken t are given. Then the acceleration is given by
formula

Where v = Final Velocity,
u = Initial velocity,
a = acceleration,
t = time taken,
s = distance traveled.

Acceleration Problems
Back to Top

Below are given problems based on acceleration which helps you to get idea where to use this
formula
Solved Examples
Question 1: A toy car accelerates from 3m/s to 5m/s in 5 s. What is its acceleration?
Solution:

Given: Initial Velocity u = 3m/s,
Final Velocity v = 5m/s,
Time taken t = 5s.
The Acceleration is given by a = vut
= 535
= 25
= 0.4 m/s
2
.

Question 2: A stone is dropped into the river from the bridge. The Stone takes 4s to touch the
water surface of the river. Calculate the height of the bridge from the water level.
Solution:

given: Initial Velocity u = 0 ( as the stone was at rest),
Time taken t = 5s,
Acceleration due to gravity is a = g = 9.8 m/s
2
,
Height of bridge = distance traveled by stone = s
The distance traveled is given by
s = ut + 12 gt
2

= 0 + 12 9.8 m/s
2
(5s)
2

= 122.5 m.


Question 3: John throws a ball up with a velocity of 15 m/s. what is its acceleration if travels a
distance of 11.4 m?
Solution:

Given: Initial velocity u = 15m/s,
Final velocity v = 0,
Distance traveled s = 11.4 m,
To find the acceleration use the formula:
v
2
= u
2
+ 2as
a = v2u22g
= 0152211.4
= 22522.8
= -9.8 m/s
2
.
The retardation is taking place at the rate of gravity.

This equation relates displacement, original velocity, constant acceleration, and time:

It reads:
Displacement equals the original velocity multiplied by time plus one half the acceleration
multiplied by the square of time.

Here is a sample problem and its solution showing the use of this equation:
An object is moving with a velocity of 5.0 m/s. It accelerates constantly at 2.0 m/s/s, (2 m/s
2
), for
a time period of 3.0 s. What is its displacement during this acceleration?
d = v
o
t + (1/2)at
2
Start here.
d = (5.0 m/s)(3.0 s) + (1/2)(2.0 m/s/s)(3.0 s)
2
Plug in values with units.
d = 15 + 9 Do some intermediate mathematics.
d = 24 m Come up with a final answer.
So, this object moved 24 meters during the 3.0 seconds of the acceleration.