1. Measure the initial velocity (vi) of the car. This can be done using a speedometer or by calculating the distance traveled divided by the time taken for a specific interval.
2. Measure the final velocity (vf) of the car after a certain time interval.
3. Calculate the change in velocity (Δv) by subtracting the initial velocity from the final velocity: Δv = vf - vi.
4. Measure the time interval (Δt) during which the change in velocity occurred.
5. Calculate the acceleration (a) of the car using the formula: a = Δv / Δt.
For example, if the initial velocity of a car is 20 m/s, the final velocity is 30 m/s, and the time interval is 5 seconds, then the acceleration can be calculated as follows:
a = (30 m/s - 20 m/s) / 5 s = 2 m/s².
This means that the car's velocity is increasing at a rate of 2 meters per second squared.
Remember that acceleration can be positive (in the direction of motion) or negative (in the opposite direction of motion), indicating whether the car is speeding up or slowing down, respectively.
