Final answer:
Acceleration refers to the change in velocity, not just speeding up quickly. An object can also accelerate by slowing down or changing direction without altering its speed, like a car on a curve.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that to accelerate, an object must speed up quickly is not fully correct. Acceleration refers to the rate of change in velocity, which means an object can accelerate in three different ways:
- By speeding up
- By slowing down (deceleration)
- By changing direction while maintaining a constant speed, such as a racecar going around a curve
This means that an object doesn't necessarily have to speed up quickly to be considered accelerating; a car can accelerate by simply changing its speed or direction.