Explain average acceleration and instantaneous acceleration.

Vedclass pdf generator app on play store
Vedclass iOS app on app store
Average acceleration is defined as the time rate of change of velocity over a given time interval.
$\text{Average acceleration} = \frac{\text{Change in velocity}}{\text{Time interval}}$
The average acceleration $\vec{a}$ of an object moving in the $xy$-plane for a time interval $\Delta t$ is the change in velocity divided by the time interval:
$\vec{a} = \frac{\overrightarrow{\Delta v}}{\Delta t} = \frac{\Delta(v_x \hat{i} + v_y \hat{j})}{\Delta t} = \frac{\Delta v_x}{\Delta t} \hat{i} + \frac{\Delta v_y}{\Delta t} \hat{j} = a_x \hat{i} + a_y \hat{j}$
Instantaneous acceleration is the limiting value of the average acceleration as the time interval approaches zero:
$\vec{a} = \lim_{\Delta t \rightarrow 0} \frac{\overrightarrow{\Delta v}}{\Delta t} = \frac{d\vec{v}}{dt}$
Since $\vec{v} = v_x \hat{i} + v_y \hat{j}$,we have:
$\vec{a} = \frac{d}{dt}(v_x \hat{i} + v_y \hat{j}) = \frac{dv_x}{dt} \hat{i} + \frac{dv_y}{dt} \hat{j} = a_x \hat{i} + a_y \hat{j}$
where $a_x = \frac{dv_x}{dt}$ and $a_y = \frac{dv_y}{dt}$.
Furthermore,since $\vec{v} = \frac{d\vec{r}}{dt}$,acceleration can be expressed as the second derivative of position with respect to time:
$\vec{a} = \frac{d\vec{v}}{dt} = \frac{d}{dt}\left(\frac{d\vec{r}}{dt}\right) = \frac{d^2\vec{r}}{dt^2} = \ddot{\vec{r}}$

Explore More

Similar Questions

An ant is moving on a plane horizontal surface. The number of degrees of freedom of the ant will be .........

The coordinates of a moving particle at any time $t$ are given by $x = \alpha t^3$ and $y = \beta t^3$. The speed of the particle at time $t$ is given by

The position vector of a particle changes with time according to the relation $\vec{r}(t) = 15t^2 \hat{i} + (4 - 20t^2) \hat{j}$. What is the magnitude of the acceleration at $t = 1 \ s$?

An aeroplane flies $400 \,m$ north and $300 \,m$ south and then flies $1200 \,m$ upwards. The net displacement is...........$m$.

$A$ point moves in the $x-y$ plane according to $x = kt$ and $y = kt(1 - \alpha t)$,where $k$ and $\alpha$ are positive constants. The equation of the trajectory is:

Vedclass Products

For Students

Vedclass Test Series

Mock tests in real JEE/NEET style with performance analysis. 5-day free trial.

Start Free Trial
For Teachers

Exam Paper Generator

Generate Set A/B/C/D exam papers from 7.5L+ questions in 2 minutes. 3 chapters free.

Try Free
For Institutes

Online Exam Module

Live online exams with unlimited students, 360° analytics & white-label branding.

See Demo