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h2. Defnition 
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The time rate of change of velocity.  Acceleration is a vector quantity.  For one-dimensional motion, the directionaxis, isthe oftenzero, specifiedand by the mathematicalpositive signdirection ofare the accelerationprespecified.  A positive acceleration indicates motion in one (arbitrarily chosen) prespecified direction, while a negative acceleration indicates the opposite direction.  An acceleration that points in the direction opposite of the velocity is sometimes called a deceleration.
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h2. Representations


h4. Differential 

  {latex}\begin{Large} $a = \frac{dv}{dt}$\end{Large}{latex}

h4. Graphical
  
Besides explicit acceleration graphs, acceleration can be found from the slope of a velocity vs. time graph or from the curvature (concavity) of a position vs. time graph.

h4. Through Motion Diagrams

  In a motion diagram, the acceleration can be estimated by looking at the spacing of the individual snapshots (assuming that the snapshots are separated by equal time intervals).  If the spacing is increasing with time, the acceleration is in the direction of motion.  If the spacing is decreasing with time, the acceleration is opposite to the direction of motion.

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h2. Relevant Models

 {children:page=Two-Dimensional Motion (General)|depth=all}

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h2. Relevant Examples

 {contentbylabel:1d_motion}