Accelerating through Physics

Galileo developed the concept of acceleration in his experiment of inclined planes. He noted that a ball rolling down an inclined plane will increase speed up to the same amount of speed in successive seconds. Speed is a scalar quantity that indicates how fast an object is moving. Velocity is the rate at which an object changes its motion. Galileo's concept is now known as acceleration. Acceleration is the rate of which velocity changed with time. The formula for acceleration is; Acceleration (A) = Change in Velocity/ Distance. Velocity and acceleration may seem similar but are the exact opposite. By walking in a circle I am constantly changing my velocity since I am changing my direction. Acceleration is the change in velocity divided by the distance. An example of acceleration is a car at rest that speeds up to 20 miles/h. The car is therefore accelerating. It is also very important to note the units of measurement for acceleration and velocity. Velocity is always measure in meters/second. If the velocity of an object changes than the object is said to be accelerating. An important rule to remember is when an object begins to slow down, it is still accelerating but in an opposite direction. If an objects velocity is changing constantly, the object is still accelerating however if the object is moving with a constant velocity than the object is not accelerating. Acceleration is usually measured in M/S2 (meters/second squared). I chose to include a website that explains the concept surrounding velocity and acceleration. I decided to use this website because it exposes the viewer to animation that helps develop more of an understanding. The website also describes the concept of an object slowing down; it is accelerating in an opposite direction. This is a very important concept that confused me at the beginning of the year! http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/1dkin/u1l1e.cfm