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Chapter 3: Problem 35

What is the difference between speed and acceleration?

Short Answer

Expert verified
Speed is how fast something moves. Acceleration is how quickly speed changes.

Step by step solution

01

Define Speed

Speed is the rate at which an object covers a distance over a period of time. It measures how fast something is moving. The formula for speed is given by
02

Define Acceleration

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity of an object. It tells us how quickly an object's speed is changing. The formula for acceleration is given by
03

Compare Speed and Acceleration

Speed is a scalar quantity that refers only to how fast an object is moving regardless of direction, while acceleration is a vector quantity that refers to how fast the speed of an object is increasing or decreasing, and it includes direction.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

speed definition
Speed refers to how quickly an object is moving. It is defined as the rate at which an object covers distance over a specific period of time.
For example, if a car travels 100 kilometers in 2 hours, its speed is 50 kilometers per hour: \( \text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}} \).
This means speed only tells us how fast something is moving, not the direction in which it is moving.
acceleration definition
Acceleration measures how quickly the velocity of an object is changing. It indicates how fast an object's speed increases or decreases over time.
For instance, if a car's speed changes from 0 to 60 kilometers per hour in 10 seconds, its acceleration is 6 kilometers per hour per second: \( \text{Acceleration} = \frac{\text{Change in velocity}}{\text{Time}} \).
Unlike speed, acceleration provides information about the direction of the change in speed as well.
scalar quantity
A scalar quantity only has magnitude (size or amount) and no direction.
Common examples include:
  • Speed
  • Distance
  • Time
Speed is a prime example of a scalar quantity because it simply tells us how fast an object is moving, without specifying the direction.
vector quantity
In contrast, a vector quantity has both magnitude and direction.
Some common examples include:
  • Acceleration
  • Velocity
  • Force
Acceleration is a vector quantity because it not only measures how fast the speed of an object is changing but also the direction in which this change occurs.
For instance, saying that a car is accelerating at 5 meters per second squared north gives us full information about both its speed change and its direction.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Suppose you are pushing a small refrigerator of mass \(50 \mathrm{kg}\) on wheels. You push with a force of \(100 \mathrm{N}\) a. What is the refrigerator's acceleration? b. Assume the refrigerator starts at rest. How long will the refrigerator accelerate at this rate before it gets away from you (that is, before it is moving faster than you can run-on the order of \(10 \mathrm{m} / \mathrm{s}\) )?

You push your book across the desk, and it slides off the edge and falls to the floor. Identify the forces that act on the book during the three parts of this scenario: (a) while you are pushing the book, (b) while the book is sliding, and (c) while the book is falling.

A sports car accelerates from a stop to \(100 \mathrm{km} / \mathrm{h}\) in 4 seconds. a. What is its acceleration? b. If it went from \(100 \mathrm{km} / \mathrm{h}\) to a stop in 5 seconds, what would be its acceleration? c. Suppose the car has a mass of 1,200 kg. How strong is the force on the car? d. What supplies the "push" that accelerates the car?

When riding in a car, we can sense changes in speed or direction through the forces that the car applies on us. Do we wear seat belts in cars and airplanes to protect us from speed or from acceleration? Explain your answer.

You are riding along on your bicycle at \(20 \mathrm{km} / \mathrm{h}\) and eating an apple. You pass a bystander. a. How fast is the apple moving in your frame of reference? b. How fast is the apple moving in the bystander's frame of reference? c. Whose perspective is more valid?
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