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Which of the following would be needed to calculate acceleration?

A) Time
B) Final velocity
C) Displacement (The distance traveled)
D) Initial velocity

1 Answer

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Final answer:

To calculate acceleration, one must have the final velocity, initial velocity, time, and displacement. Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity, which can be determined by the gradient on a velocity vs. time graph or related to displacement through kinematic equations.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate acceleration, you would need to know several variables, specifically: B) Final velocity, D) Initial velocity, A) Time, and C) Displacement (The distance traveled). Acceleration is the rate at which velocity changes, so you must have a measure of how much the velocity changes (final minus initial velocity) and the time over which this change occurs. If displacement is given instead of final velocity, one can still calculate acceleration using kinematic equations that relate displacement, initial velocity, time, and acceleration.

Defining acceleration, we recall that it is the rate of change of velocity. Looking at a velocity vs. time graph, the gradient of the graph would indicate the acceleration. Moreover, the area under an acceleration vs. time graph gives us the change in velocity, further demonstrating the relationship between these variables and acceleration. Therefore, to answer the question, all four options (Time, Final velocity, Displacement, and Initial velocity) are needed to calculate acceleration.

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