Question

Micah knows that a car had a change in velocity of 15 m/s. What does Micah need to determine acceleration.

distance
timeMicah knows that a car had a change in velocity of 15 m/s. What does Micah need to determine acceleration.

distance
time
direction
speed
direction
speed

Answer 1

To determine acceleration, Micah needs to know both the time over which the change in velocity occurred and the initial velocity (or final velocity) of the car. Acceleration is calculated using the formula:

\[
\text{Acceleration} = \frac{\text{Change in Velocity}}{\text{Time}}
\]

Since Micah knows the change in velocity is 15 m/s, he specifically needs to know **time** to compute the acceleration.

In summary, to determine the acceleration, Micah needs:
- **Time** (to calculate acceleration using the change in velocity)

Additionally, if he wants to completely describe the motion, he might also consider **direction** and **initial speed**, but those are not strictly necessary to calculate acceleration itself.