Difference Between Velocity and Acceleration

The main difference between velocity and acceleration is that velocity is the speed of any object moving in a specific direction while acceleration is the rate of change of velocity of that object.

speed vs acceleration

Both velocity and acceleration are the fundamental concepts in physics that are used to describe motion. Motion is the movement or change of position of a body with respect to time. Walking, running, driving, diving, flying birds and falling leaves, etc. are all states of motion. Velocity is the speed of the moving body in a specific direction, while acceleration is the change in the speed of the moving body with respect to time. So velocity is the rate of change of displacement while acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.

Comparison chart

What is speed?

Velocity is the distance the moving object has traveled in a specific direction in a particular time interval. In other words, we can say that it is the rate of change of displacement. If an object moves to a specific point and then returns to its starting position, the speed of the moving object will be zero. It is a vector quantity, that is, both magnitude and direction are required to explain it. Velocity is used to measure the time it takes for a satellite to reach the moon. Its unit is m/s.

Formula

The speed of a moving object can be determined by the formula: Speed ​​= Displacement / time

Example

If a car moves 100 m in 10 seconds to the north, its speed is 10 m/s to the north.

What is acceleration?

The change in velocity of a moving body with respect to time is known as acceleration. In other words, we can say that it is the rate of change of velocity of a moving body. It is the net result of all the forces acting on a body. It is also a vector quantity. Acceleration is used to evaluate the performance of a moving body. An instrument known as an accelerometer is used to measure acceleration. Its SI unit is m/s^2. There are two types of acceleration.

Centripetal acceleration

If a body moves with uniform speed in a circular path, its acceleration is called centripetal acceleration because the direction of motion changes from moment to moment.

tangential acceleration

A type of motion in which there is no change in direction while the velocity changes over time is known as tangential acceleration.

Formula

The acceleration of a moving object can be determined by the formula: Acceleration = Velocity / time

Example

A pendulum moving in a circular path is an example of centripetal acceleration because the direction of its velocity is constantly changing in a circular path, whereas a car moving so that its speed or velocity is continually increasing in the same direction is a example of tangential acceleration.

Key differences

1. The rate of change of displacement is known as velocity, while acceleration is the rate of change of velocity.
2. The SI unit of velocity is m/s while that of acceleration is m/s^
3. Velocity can be measured by dividing displacement by time, while acceleration can be measured by dividing velocity by time.
4. Velocity is used to determine how long it takes for a storm to reach shore, while acceleration is used to assess a vehicle’s performance.

Final Thought

From the above discussion, it follows that the rate of change of displacement of a body moving in a specific direction is called velocity, while the rate of change of velocity of that body is known as acceleration, which is also a quantity. vector.a