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How do you find the acceleration and convert units given time, a start at rest, and final velocity in a motion problem?

What is the average acceleration of a cheetah that goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in only 5 seconds?

Summary

  1. mph- miles per hour
  2. t- time
  3. s- seconds
  4. a- acceleration
  5. m- meters

Notes

    1. It's a good idea to write down the variables that you know in your problem
    1. vi- initial velocity
    2. mph- miles per hour
    3. vf- final velocity
    4. t- time
    5. s- seconds
    6. a- acceleration
    1. Think about the variables in your problem and then figure out what equation contains those variables
    1. vi- initial velocity
    2. vf- final velocity
    3. a- acceleration
    4. t- time
    1. vi- initial velocity
    2. vf- final velocity
    3. a- acceleration
    4. t- time
    1. Apply some algebra to isolate for acceleration in the equation
    1. vi- initial velocity
    2. vf- final velocity
    3. a- acceleration
    4. t- time
    1. mph- miles per hour
    2. m/s- meters per second
    1. mph- miles per hour
    2. m/s- meters per second
    1. Last step, plug in the variables into the equation for acceleration
    1. a- acceleration
    2. m- meters
    3. s- seconds
    1. a- acceleration
    2. m- meters
    3. s- seconds