Skip to main content
Commonmark migration
Source Link

The problem I saw with my understanding: I presume, that (m/s)/s or m/s^2 are complete definitions of acceleration. However, I do not see anything in those expressions that defines acceleration as the accumulation of speed. I.e. in English we might express (m/s)/s as the number of meters a person travels in a (or in x) second(s), in a (or in x) second(s). To me it seems like the notion would be better expressed (and I don't know better, which is why I presume I'm misunderstanding) as the difference between the speed of a thing at one instant and its speed at another instant. –

 

But, one core part of my question remains: acceleration is the rate by which the speed is increasing at a given moment. How does the expression (m/s)/s convey anything about an increase in anything?

You can’t really talk about speed without specifying a time. You can’t say an object is traveling 10 meters. You have to specify how long it takes that object to travel that 10 meters. It could be moving 10 meters per second, or per minute, or per year. Speed has to have a time unit.

We can say that an object is moving 10 m/s at time A, and 20 m/s at time B. The speed increased by 10 m/s. But this tells us nothing about acceleration. Acceleration is about how long it takes an object to change speed. If our object only took one second to change speed from 10 m/s to 20 m/s, it accelerated very quickly. If it took 10 minutes, it accelerated much more slowly. The time it took for the change to happen is what the 2nd “per second” is talking about. Acceleration (m/s/s) is about how much the speed (meters per second) changes per second.

Here’s an example to go along with the explanation. The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second per second. I’m going to round that up to 10 for simplicity. Suppose you go to the top of a tall building and drop a bowling ball off. Its initial speed is 0 m/s. Gravity pulls it downward. After 1 second its speed is 10 m/s. After 2 seconds, its speed is 20 m/s. After 3 seconds, it’s moving 30 m/s, etc. The bowling ball’s speed is changing by 10 meters per second for (or per) each second it falls: 10 meters per second per second.

I hope this helps. Physics can be hard to wrap your head around, especially if your training is not in the hard sciences.

The problem I saw with my understanding: I presume, that (m/s)/s or m/s^2 are complete definitions of acceleration. However, I do not see anything in those expressions that defines acceleration as the accumulation of speed. I.e. in English we might express (m/s)/s as the number of meters a person travels in a (or in x) second(s), in a (or in x) second(s). To me it seems like the notion would be better expressed (and I don't know better, which is why I presume I'm misunderstanding) as the difference between the speed of a thing at one instant and its speed at another instant. –

 

But, one core part of my question remains: acceleration is the rate by which the speed is increasing at a given moment. How does the expression (m/s)/s convey anything about an increase in anything?

You can’t really talk about speed without specifying a time. You can’t say an object is traveling 10 meters. You have to specify how long it takes that object to travel that 10 meters. It could be moving 10 meters per second, or per minute, or per year. Speed has to have a time unit.

We can say that an object is moving 10 m/s at time A, and 20 m/s at time B. The speed increased by 10 m/s. But this tells us nothing about acceleration. Acceleration is about how long it takes an object to change speed. If our object only took one second to change speed from 10 m/s to 20 m/s, it accelerated very quickly. If it took 10 minutes, it accelerated much more slowly. The time it took for the change to happen is what the 2nd “per second” is talking about. Acceleration (m/s/s) is about how much the speed (meters per second) changes per second.

Here’s an example to go along with the explanation. The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second per second. I’m going to round that up to 10 for simplicity. Suppose you go to the top of a tall building and drop a bowling ball off. Its initial speed is 0 m/s. Gravity pulls it downward. After 1 second its speed is 10 m/s. After 2 seconds, its speed is 20 m/s. After 3 seconds, it’s moving 30 m/s, etc. The bowling ball’s speed is changing by 10 meters per second for (or per) each second it falls: 10 meters per second per second.

I hope this helps. Physics can be hard to wrap your head around, especially if your training is not in the hard sciences.

The problem I saw with my understanding: I presume, that (m/s)/s or m/s^2 are complete definitions of acceleration. However, I do not see anything in those expressions that defines acceleration as the accumulation of speed. I.e. in English we might express (m/s)/s as the number of meters a person travels in a (or in x) second(s), in a (or in x) second(s). To me it seems like the notion would be better expressed (and I don't know better, which is why I presume I'm misunderstanding) as the difference between the speed of a thing at one instant and its speed at another instant. –

But, one core part of my question remains: acceleration is the rate by which the speed is increasing at a given moment. How does the expression (m/s)/s convey anything about an increase in anything?

You can’t really talk about speed without specifying a time. You can’t say an object is traveling 10 meters. You have to specify how long it takes that object to travel that 10 meters. It could be moving 10 meters per second, or per minute, or per year. Speed has to have a time unit.

We can say that an object is moving 10 m/s at time A, and 20 m/s at time B. The speed increased by 10 m/s. But this tells us nothing about acceleration. Acceleration is about how long it takes an object to change speed. If our object only took one second to change speed from 10 m/s to 20 m/s, it accelerated very quickly. If it took 10 minutes, it accelerated much more slowly. The time it took for the change to happen is what the 2nd “per second” is talking about. Acceleration (m/s/s) is about how much the speed (meters per second) changes per second.

Here’s an example to go along with the explanation. The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second per second. I’m going to round that up to 10 for simplicity. Suppose you go to the top of a tall building and drop a bowling ball off. Its initial speed is 0 m/s. Gravity pulls it downward. After 1 second its speed is 10 m/s. After 2 seconds, its speed is 20 m/s. After 3 seconds, it’s moving 30 m/s, etc. The bowling ball’s speed is changing by 10 meters per second for (or per) each second it falls: 10 meters per second per second.

I hope this helps. Physics can be hard to wrap your head around, especially if your training is not in the hard sciences.

“The problem I saw with my understanding: I presume, that (m/s)/s or m/s^2 are complete definitions of acceleration. However, I do not see anything in those expressions that defines acceleration as the accumulation of speed. I.e. in English we might express (m/s)/s as the number of meters a person travels in a (or in x) second(s), in a (or in x) second(s). To me it seems like the notion would be better expressed (and I don't know better, which is why I presume I'm misunderstanding) as the difference between the speed of a thing at one instant and its speed at another instant. –

The problem I saw with my understanding: I presume, that (m/s)/s or m/s^2 are complete definitions of acceleration. However, I do not see anything in those expressions that defines acceleration as the accumulation of speed. I.e. in English we might express (m/s)/s as the number of meters a person travels in a (or in x) second(s), in a (or in x) second(s). To me it seems like the notion would be better expressed (and I don't know better, which is why I presume I'm misunderstanding) as the difference between the speed of a thing at one instant and its speed at another instant. –

But, one core part of my question remains: acceleration is the rate by which the speed is increasing at a given moment. How does the expression (m/s)/s convey anything about an increase in anything? –\ “

But, one core part of my question remains: acceleration is the rate by which the speed is increasing at a given moment. How does the expression (m/s)/s convey anything about an increase in anything?

You can’t really talk about speed without specifying a time. You can’t say an object is traveling 10 meters. You have to specify how long it takes that object to travel that 10 meters. It could be moving 10 meters per second, or per minute, or per year. Speed has to have a time unit.

We can say that an object is moving 10 m/s at time A, and 20 m/s at time B. The speed increased by 10 m/s. But this tells us nothing about acceleration. Acceleration is about how long it takes an object to change speed. If our object only took one second to change speed from 10 m/s to 20 m/s, it accelerated very quickly. If it took 10 minutes, it accelerated much more slowly. The time it took for the change to happen is what the 2nd “per second” is talking about. Acceleration (m/s/s) is about how much the speed (meters per second) changes per second.

Here’s an example to go along with the explanation. The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second per second. I’m going to round that up to 10 for simplicity. Suppose you go to the top of a tall building and drop a bowling ball off. Its initial speed is 0 m/s. Gravity pulls it downward. After 1 second its speed is 10 m/s. After 2 seconds, its speed is 20 m/s. After 3 seconds, it’s moving 30 m/s, etc. The bowling ball’s speed is changing by 10 meters per second for (or per) each second it falls: 10 meters per second per second.

I hope this helps. Physics can be hard to wrap your head around, especially if your training is not in the hard sciences.

“The problem I saw with my understanding: I presume, that (m/s)/s or m/s^2 are complete definitions of acceleration. However, I do not see anything in those expressions that defines acceleration as the accumulation of speed. I.e. in English we might express (m/s)/s as the number of meters a person travels in a (or in x) second(s), in a (or in x) second(s). To me it seems like the notion would be better expressed (and I don't know better, which is why I presume I'm misunderstanding) as the difference between the speed of a thing at one instant and its speed at another instant. –

But, one core part of my question remains: acceleration is the rate by which the speed is increasing at a given moment. How does the expression (m/s)/s convey anything about an increase in anything? –\ “

You can’t really talk about speed without specifying a time. You can’t say an object is traveling 10 meters. You have to specify how long it takes that object to travel that 10 meters. It could be moving 10 meters per second, or per minute, or per year. Speed has to have a time unit.

We can say that an object is moving 10 m/s at time A, and 20 m/s at time B. The speed increased by 10 m/s. But this tells us nothing about acceleration. Acceleration is about how long it takes an object to change speed. If our object only took one second to change speed from 10 m/s to 20 m/s, it accelerated very quickly. If it took 10 minutes, it accelerated much more slowly. The time it took for the change to happen is what the 2nd “per second” is talking about. Acceleration (m/s/s) is about how much the speed (meters per second) changes per second.

Here’s an example to go along with the explanation. The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second per second. I’m going to round that up to 10 for simplicity. Suppose you go to the top of a tall building and drop a bowling ball off. Its initial speed is 0 m/s. Gravity pulls it downward. After 1 second its speed is 10 m/s. After 2 seconds, its speed is 20 m/s. After 3 seconds, it’s moving 30 m/s, etc. The bowling ball’s speed is changing by 10 meters per second for (or per) each second it falls: 10 meters per second per second.

I hope this helps. Physics can be hard to wrap your head around, especially if your training is not in the hard sciences.

The problem I saw with my understanding: I presume, that (m/s)/s or m/s^2 are complete definitions of acceleration. However, I do not see anything in those expressions that defines acceleration as the accumulation of speed. I.e. in English we might express (m/s)/s as the number of meters a person travels in a (or in x) second(s), in a (or in x) second(s). To me it seems like the notion would be better expressed (and I don't know better, which is why I presume I'm misunderstanding) as the difference between the speed of a thing at one instant and its speed at another instant. –

But, one core part of my question remains: acceleration is the rate by which the speed is increasing at a given moment. How does the expression (m/s)/s convey anything about an increase in anything?

You can’t really talk about speed without specifying a time. You can’t say an object is traveling 10 meters. You have to specify how long it takes that object to travel that 10 meters. It could be moving 10 meters per second, or per minute, or per year. Speed has to have a time unit.

We can say that an object is moving 10 m/s at time A, and 20 m/s at time B. The speed increased by 10 m/s. But this tells us nothing about acceleration. Acceleration is about how long it takes an object to change speed. If our object only took one second to change speed from 10 m/s to 20 m/s, it accelerated very quickly. If it took 10 minutes, it accelerated much more slowly. The time it took for the change to happen is what the 2nd “per second” is talking about. Acceleration (m/s/s) is about how much the speed (meters per second) changes per second.

Here’s an example to go along with the explanation. The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second per second. I’m going to round that up to 10 for simplicity. Suppose you go to the top of a tall building and drop a bowling ball off. Its initial speed is 0 m/s. Gravity pulls it downward. After 1 second its speed is 10 m/s. After 2 seconds, its speed is 20 m/s. After 3 seconds, it’s moving 30 m/s, etc. The bowling ball’s speed is changing by 10 meters per second for (or per) each second it falls: 10 meters per second per second.

I hope this helps. Physics can be hard to wrap your head around, especially if your training is not in the hard sciences.

Source Link

“The problem I saw with my understanding: I presume, that (m/s)/s or m/s^2 are complete definitions of acceleration. However, I do not see anything in those expressions that defines acceleration as the accumulation of speed. I.e. in English we might express (m/s)/s as the number of meters a person travels in a (or in x) second(s), in a (or in x) second(s). To me it seems like the notion would be better expressed (and I don't know better, which is why I presume I'm misunderstanding) as the difference between the speed of a thing at one instant and its speed at another instant. –

But, one core part of my question remains: acceleration is the rate by which the speed is increasing at a given moment. How does the expression (m/s)/s convey anything about an increase in anything? –\ “

You can’t really talk about speed without specifying a time. You can’t say an object is traveling 10 meters. You have to specify how long it takes that object to travel that 10 meters. It could be moving 10 meters per second, or per minute, or per year. Speed has to have a time unit.

We can say that an object is moving 10 m/s at time A, and 20 m/s at time B. The speed increased by 10 m/s. But this tells us nothing about acceleration. Acceleration is about how long it takes an object to change speed. If our object only took one second to change speed from 10 m/s to 20 m/s, it accelerated very quickly. If it took 10 minutes, it accelerated much more slowly. The time it took for the change to happen is what the 2nd “per second” is talking about. Acceleration (m/s/s) is about how much the speed (meters per second) changes per second.

Here’s an example to go along with the explanation. The acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second per second. I’m going to round that up to 10 for simplicity. Suppose you go to the top of a tall building and drop a bowling ball off. Its initial speed is 0 m/s. Gravity pulls it downward. After 1 second its speed is 10 m/s. After 2 seconds, its speed is 20 m/s. After 3 seconds, it’s moving 30 m/s, etc. The bowling ball’s speed is changing by 10 meters per second for (or per) each second it falls: 10 meters per second per second.

I hope this helps. Physics can be hard to wrap your head around, especially if your training is not in the hard sciences.