Difference Between Speed And Acceleration

Introduction:-

Speed and Acceleration are two concepts that are often confused with each other. While they are related, they are distinctly different concepts. Speed refers to how fast an object moves, while acceleration refers to how quickly an object's speed changes. In this article, I'll explore the Difference Between Speed And Acceleration, as well as their relationship to each other which will be very helpful for class(ix) and class (x) students.

Explanation:-

What is Speed?

Answer:-

Speed is defined as the rate at which an object moves. It is the distance that an object travels in a given amount of time. For example, if a car travels 80 kilometer in one hour, so it's speed will be 80 kilometer per hour. Speed is a scalar quantity, which means it only has a magnitude and no direction.

Speed is usually measured using units like meters per second (m/s) or kilometer per hour (km/h). In order to calculate an object's speed, we need to know the distance it has traveled and the time it has taken to travel that distance.

What is Acceleration?

Answer:-

Acceleration, on the other hand, is the rate at which an object's speed is changing. It is the change in an object's velocity over a specific period of time. Velocity, in contrast to speed, is a vector quantity that includes both a magnitude and a direction. Therefore, acceleration is also a vector quantity.

An object can accelerate in different ways. For example, it can speed up, slow down, or change direction. The acceleration of an object is calculated by dividing the change in velocity by the time it takes for that change to occur. The SI unit for acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s²).

The Relationship Between Speed and Acceleration:-

While Speed and Acceleration are different concepts, they are related to each other. Acceleration can be thought of as the "second derivative" of an object's position, and speed can be thought of as the "first derivative". This means that acceleration is the rate at which an object's speed is changing, and speed is the rate at which its position is changing.

To illustrate this relationship, consider a car that is accelerating from a stop sign. At first, the car's speed is zero. As it starts moving, its speed increases. This is an example of positive acceleration. If the driver then hits the brakes, the car's speed will decrease, and its acceleration will be negative.

However, it's important to note that an object can have constant speed but still be accelerating. This occurs when an object moves in a circular path at a constant speed. In this case, the object's direction is constantly changing, and so its velocity is constantly changing. Therefore, it is accelerating.

Some problems related on speed and acceleration:-

(1) A car was rest and after 30 secs later it gained a speed of 60 m/sec .Find the acceleration of the car.

Answer:- Here,

Time (t) = 30 sec.

Final speed(v) = 60 m.sec⁻¹

Initial speed(u) = 0

∴ Acceleration of the car (a) = (V - u)/t

= (30 -0)/60

= 30/60

= ½

= 0.5 m.sec⁻²

(2) After moving 2minutes with a velocity 20 m/s, a car attained an acceleration 10m/s², find the distance travelled by the car.

Answer:- Time(t) = 2 minutes

= (2 × 60)secs [ ∵1minutes = 60 sec]

= 120 secs

Acceleration (a) =10m/s²,

Initial velocity (u) = 20m/s

∴ Distance travelled by the car

(S) = ut + ½ at² [ ∵ In case of acceleration]

= 20 × 120 + ½ ×10 ×120²

= 2400 + 5 × 14400

= 2400 + 72000

= 74400 meter

= 74400/1000 km [∵1km =1000m]

= 74.4 km

Conclusion:-

In summary, Speed and Acceleration are different concepts that are often confused with each other. The Difference Between Speed And Acceleration reflects that Speed refers to how fast an object is moving, while acceleration refers to how quickly an object's speed is changing. While they are different, they are related to each other. Acceleration is the second derivative of an object's position, while speed is the first derivative......

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