Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity with respect to time. Velocity is a vector quantity that has both magnitude and direction, while time is a scalar quantity that has only magnitude. Therefore, the units of acceleration must be expressed in terms of the units of velocity and time.
Velocity is expressed in units of meters per second (m/s), while time is expressed in units of seconds (s). Therefore, the units of acceleration can be obtained by dividing the units of velocity by the units of time.
Dividing m/s by s gives us m/s^2, which is the unit of acceleration. This means that for every second, the velocity of an object changes by a certain amount, which is measured in meters per second squared.
In other words, if an object is accelerating at a rate of 5 m/s^2, it means that its velocity is changing by 5 meters per second every second.
Explain why the units of acceleration is m/s^2.
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