Acceleration explained to kids

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity. In other words, it's how fast something goes from one velocity to another. For example, if you're driving in a car and you speed up from 20 miles per hour to 30 miles per hour, your acceleration is 10 miles per hour per second. There are two types of acceleration: linear and angular. Linear acceleration is when something speeds up in a straight line. Angular acceleration is when something speeds up in a circle. There are three ways to calculate acceleration: 1. Change in velocity divided by time 2. Distance divided by time squared 3. Force divided by mass The first two methods are the most common. The third method is used when you're dealing with objects in space, like planets or stars. Acceleration is a vector quantity, which means it has both magnitude and direction. The magnitude is the amount of acceleration, and the direction is the direction in which the acceleration is happening. There are two units of acceleration: meters per second squared (m/s2) and feet per second squared (ft/s2). Acceleration is caused by a force. The more force there is, the more acceleration there is. There are three types of forces: 1. Gravity 2. Friction 3. Air resistance Gravity is the force that pulls objects toward each other. Friction is the force that slows things down. Air resistance is the force that slows things down when they're moving through the air. Acceleration is important in many aspects of our lives. For example, it's what makes it possible for us to walk, run, and drive. It's also what makes it possible for objects to fall and for planets to orbit around the sun.