Acceleration is the rate of change of an object's velocity over time. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (size) and direction.
According to Newton's second law of motion, the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. This can be represented by the equation F=ma, where F is force, m is mass, and a is acceleration.
Average acceleration is the change in velocity over a specific period of time, while instantaneous acceleration is the acceleration at a specific moment in time. Average acceleration can be calculated by dividing the change in velocity by the change in time, while instantaneous acceleration can be found by taking the derivative of the velocity with respect to time.
Acceleration can cause an object to speed up, slow down, or change direction. If an object is accelerating in the same direction as its velocity, it will speed up. If it is accelerating in the opposite direction, it will slow down. If the acceleration is perpendicular to the velocity, the object will change direction.
Some common examples of acceleration in everyday life include a car speeding up or slowing down, a ball falling towards the ground due to gravity, and a person jumping off a diving board. Other examples include a rocket launching into space, a cyclist pedaling faster to increase their speed, and a roller coaster going around a loop.