Acceleration

ac·cel·er·a·tion   (āk-sěl'ə-rā'shən)    n.   The act of accelerating. The process of being accelerated. Abbr. a Physics The rate of change of velocity with respect to time.

acceleration

A change in the velocity of an object.

Note: The most familiar kind of acceleration is a change in the speed of an object. An object that stays at the same speed but changes direction, however, is also being accelerated. (See force.)

Main Entry: ac·cel·er·a·tion
Pronunciation: ik-"sel-&-'rA-sh&n, (")ak-
Function: noun
1 : the act or process ofaccelerating : the state of being accelerated
2 : change of velocity; also : the rate of this change
3 : advancement in mental growthor achievement beyond the average for one's age

acceleration   (āk-sěl'ə-rā'shən)  Pronunciation Key  The rate of change of the velocity of a moving body. An increase in the magnitude of the velocity of a moving body (an increase in speed) is called a positive acceleration; a decrease in speed is called a negative acceleration. Acceleration, like velocity, is a vector quantity, so any change in the direction of a moving body is also an acceleration. A moving body that follows a curved path, even when its speed remains constant, is undergoing acceleration. See more at gravity, relativity.