The video I posted above is an explanation of acceleration kindly provided by Khan Academy. Acceleration is the change in velocity over a given time interval; or you could say that acceleration is how fast an object is changing speed. Acceleration is measured in units of meters per second squared (m/s^2). This video really goes through the steps of how to calculate the acceleration of an object and I think it is a great resource to clear up any confusion about acceleration. It is especially helpful to be able to see the instructor writing out his work on the problem with his explanation matched up in the background; this makes it easy to follow along.
After that explanation of acceleration you may be wondering, what is velocity anyway? Velocity is both the speed and the direction of an object. Velocity is measured in units of meters per second (m/s). Constant velocity can only be achieved if an object is moving at the same speed as well as moving in the same direction; for example, a runner sprinting at the same speed in a straight line would be moving at a constant velocity. The second video I have included is less serious; it is an animated little jingle about the difference between speed and velocity. While velocity measures both an object's speed and direction, speed only measures how fast something is going. I think this video showed a lot of cute examples of objects moving with constant or changing speed and velocity and presented it in a fun manner.
So, just a quick recap:
- velocity (not to be confused with speed) is an object's speed and direction
- acceleration is the change in an object's velocity over time
I thought that both of these videos were great references and examples of acceleration and velocity. The videos didn't teach me anything new but they were great reminders for acceleration and velocity. One thing of constructive criticism for you is maybe find some more entertaining videos like the second one. Keep it up!
ReplyDelete