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    Average Acceleration: Trevor Scheopner March 31, 2018

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    The document defines average acceleration as the integral of acceleration over a time interval divided by the length of that interval. It shows that this definition is equivalent to taking the change in velocity over the time interval divided by the time. The document derives an equation that relates the initial velocity, final velocity, average acceleration, and time interval.

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    Average Acceleration: Trevor Scheopner March 31, 2018

    Uploaded by

    trevorscheopner
    48 views1 page
    The document defines average acceleration as the integral of acceleration over a time interval divided by the length of that interval. It shows that this definition is equivalent to taking the change in velocity over the time interval divided by the time. The document derives an equation that relates the initial velocity, final velocity, average acceleration, and time interval.

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    the definition of average acceleraiton

    Original Title

    Tristan Question

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    The document defines average acceleration as the integral of acceleration over a time interval divided by the length of that interval. It shows that this definition is equivalent to taking the change in velocity over the time interval divided by the time. The document derives an equation that relates the initial velocity, final velocity, average acceleration, and time interval.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    48 views1 page

    Average Acceleration: Trevor Scheopner March 31, 2018

    Uploaded by

    trevorscheopner
    The document defines average acceleration as the integral of acceleration over a time interval divided by the length of that interval. It shows that this definition is equivalent to taking the change in velocity over the time interval divided by the time. The document derives an equation that relates the initial velocity, final velocity, average acceleration, and time interval.

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    of 1

    Average acceleration

    Trevor Scheopner
    March 31, 2018

    The definition of acceleration is that it is the derivative of velocity with respect to time:

    ~ = d~v (t) .
    a(t) (1)
    dt
    When you compute an average of a list of numbers, you sum all the numbers and divide by how
    many numbers there are in the list, by definition. However, in this case we have a continuous list of
    numbers (there is an acceleration for every t). So, we need to do a continuous sum. Calculus tells
    you how to do a continuous sum: a continuous sum is an integral. Therefore, average acceleration
    over a time interval is the integral of acceleration over that time interval, divided by the length of
    that time interval:
    R tf
    ~a(t)dt
    ~aavg = t0R tf . (2)
    t0
    dt

    By inserting the definition of acceleration into the definition of the average acceleration and using
    the fundamental theorem of calculus, we can find an easier formula:
    R tf R tf d~v
    t0
    ~a(t)dt dt dt ~v (tf ) − ~v (t0 )
    ~aavg = R tf = t0 = . (3)
    dt tf − t0 tf − t0
    t0

    By rearranging this formula we get the equation you mentioned in your email:

    ~v (tf ) = ~v (t0 ) + ~aavg (tf − t0 ) (4)


    ~vf = ~v0 + ~aavg ∆t. (5)

    So yes, you can always use this equation to find the average acceleration and this equation is exactly
    equal to the definition of the words ”average acceleration”. When the acceleration is constant, of
    the course the average is equal to that constant and so it reduces to the known kinematic formula.
    I hope that helps!

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