Plane Curvilinear Motion: x-y Coordinates

 

Acceleration

 

The acceleration (a) of a particle is the time rate of change of velocity (v). Because a plane is 2-D, we need a vector to describe the acceleration of a particle.

 

• Acceleration vector: a = a_x i + a_y j
• Acceleration: a = dv/dt
• Average Acceleration: a_ave = Δv/Δt