Acceleration- Equation Practice 1

v = final velocity (m/s)

change in velocity
u = initial velocity (m/s) acceleration =
time taken
a = acceleration (m/s2) (v – u)
a=
t
t = time (s)

You will be expected to recall the formula linking change in velocity, acceleration and time in your examination. You
should also be able to change the subject of the formula and to use the correct units.

1 The table shows the time it takes for a car to Initial Final Acceleration Time
accelerate in different situations. Copy the table velocity velocity (m/s2) (s)
and calculate the missing accelerations. (m/s) (m/s)
2 A cyclist decelerates from 12 m/s to 2 m/s. Her
acceleration is –2.5 m/s2. How long does this a 0 15 7.5

↳
change of speed take? b 10 20 5
3 A car accelerates from rest to a velocity of 10 m/s. c 5 30 25
Its acceleration is 0.5 m/s2. How long does this
change of speed take? 195 d 25 10 3

4 A cyclist is travelling at 15 m/s and applies the brakes. Her acceleration is –3 m/s. How long does it take her to
come to a stop?
5 A car accelerates at 1.25 m/s2 for 20 seconds. What is its change in velocity? 25m/s
6 a A ball is dropped. What is its velocity after 3 seconds? The acceleration due to gravity is 10 m/s2.
b What would the ball's velocity be 3 seconds after it was dropped on the Moon, where the acceleration due to
gravity is 1.6 m/s2?
7 A rocket accelerates at 4g when it is launched. How fast is it moving 10 seconds later?
8 A car is travelling at 10 m/s. It accelerates at 2.5 m/s2 for 10 seconds. What is its final velocity? 35m/S
9 Show that a cyclist slows 'Show that' in an exam question means you need to demonstrate that
from 6 m/s to 2 m/s when the statement that follows is true. In this case, you need to carry out
they decelerate at 0.5 m/s2 a calculation to work out the final speed from the initial speed,
for 8 seconds. acceleration and time given. Your answer should come out as 2 m/s!

10 A cyclist brakes for a second with an acceleration of –4 m/s2. If he was travelling at 5 m/s before he braked, what
is his final velocity?
11 A ball is thrown vertically upwards with a velocity of 10 m/s. What is its velocity 1.5 seconds later? The
acceleration due to gravity is 10 m/s2. (Hint: the acceleration due to gravity is in the opposite direction to the initial
velocity of the ball, so the acceleration is negative.)
12 A spacecraft accelerates at 0.2 m/s2 for 3 minutes and reaches a velocity of 236 m/s. Calculate its initial velocity.
13 A spacecraft changes velocity from 400 m/s to 364 m/s over one hour. Calculate its acceleration. 0 .

01 MIS
14 A fighter plane is descending at 30 m/s. The pilot ejects, and the ejector seat accelerates him upwards at 120 m/s2
for 2 seconds. What is his velocity at the end of the 2 seconds? (Hint: think about the direction in which he
accelerates compared to the direction the plane is moving.)
15 A bullet leaves a rifle with a velocity of 1500 m/s. Its acceleration is 5  105 m/s2. How long did it take to travel
through the barrel?
16 A different rifle accelerates the bullet at 2  105 m/s2, and the bullet spends 5  10-3 seconds inside the barrel. How
fast is it moving when it leaves the barrel?
a = v -u
-

364
=
V = a

u 400
=

t 3600

364
=

a =
a =

3
a =

a =
0 .

01mIS
Acceleration- Equation Practice 2

You will be expected to recall the formula linking change in velocity, acceleration and time in your examination. You
should also be able to change the subject of the formula and to use the correct units.

The following formula links initial and final velocities, acceleration and distance travelled (x).
v2 – u2 = 2  a  s

1 A car travels 100 m as it accelerates from rest to 25 m/s. Calculate its acceleration. 3 .

125m/S
2 A car accelerates from 10 m/s to 20 m/s over a distance of 80 m. Calculate its acceleration.
3 A cyclist comes to a stop from a velocity of 15 m/s. The acceleration is –3 m/s2. How far does the bicycle travel
while it is braking? 37 5m
a
.

4 A rocket is launched with an acceleration of 35 m/s2. How far has it travelled when it reaches a velocity of
700 m/s? 1Om
5 A car is travelling at 10 m/s. It accelerates to 35 m/s over a distance of 225 m. Calculate the acceleration.
6 The driver of a car travelling at 10 m/s brakes hard and brings the car to a stop over a distance of 10 m.
a Calculate the deceleration of the car.
b How far would the car travel while braking to a stop from 20 m/s, if the deceleration was the same?
7 An oil tanker is sailing at 8 m/s. It takes 3 km to come to a stop. Calculate the deceleration. - 10 6M13
.

8 A bullet leaves a musket (an old type of gun) with a velocity of 150 m/s. The barrel of the musket is 115 cm long.
Calculate the acceleration of the bullet as it leaves the barrel.
9 A rifle has a barrel 80 cm long. The bullet leaves the barrel at a velocity of 800 m/s. Calculate the acceleration of
the bullet as it leaves the barrel.
10 Calculate the final velocities of the following vehicles.
c A car that accelerates from rest at 3 m/s2 over a distance of 100 m.
d A car that accelerates from an initial velocity of 10 m/s over a distance of 150 m. The acceleration is 2 m/s2.
e A car that brakes from 15 m/s over a distance of 20 m. The acceleration is –4 m/s2.
11 A spacecraft is moving at 15 km/s when its engine is fired for 15 minutes. The engine provides an acceleration of
0.003 m/s2. During this time the spacecraft travels 15 000 km. Calculate its final velocity. 17 .

74 km/s
12 Calculate the initial velocities for these vehicles:
f a car that accelerates at 2 m/s2 over a distance of 50 m to reach a velocity of 20 m/s.
g a car that brakes to provide a deceleration of –3 m/s2, and comes to a halt over a distance of 40 m.
h a bicycle that accelerates at 0.5 m/s2 over a distance of 10 m to reach a velocity of 8 m/s.
13 A boy is sliding on ice. Once he is on the ice he decelerates at –2 m/s2 and comes to a stop after sliding for 6 m.
How fast was he running just before he started sliding?
14 An airliner takes 2 km to come to a stop when it lands. If it decelerates at –1.4 m/s2 once it touches down,
calculate its velocity just before touch-down.
15 A car is travelling at 30 m/s. The driver brakes hard when she sees an obstacle in the road. If the deceleration of
the car is –6 m/s2 and the obstacle is 60 m away when she applies the brakes, show that she will hit the wall.
 22 -42 S v2 -n2
?
S 100 2 as
=

=
2xaxs =
=

n
=

0m/s 12 -
Y =
a

OmIs
-

v =

25m/s 2.
S v =

v
R
-
Ha =S
02 2A
a ? 250
me A
=

-
-
:

2x100
u =

15m/S *

3m/sha
-
=
s
625-0

5
200
a = -

125 ms

= 3

v2 -u2 700m/S v2-42 20S

225 ⑭37 5
= = =
= -

a
35m/s2 = S
=

Ga
3
2 I
? v2 -U2 Las
=
=

700
=

=
S
v2
2x95 15km/s has + n2
=

n =

900s jet
100 =
10M 1 =
=

a 0
003m/v 2x0 003x15008 25
=
.
+
=
.

S-3km
↳
v6 -U =
Las
15000m 17
y =
8m/s v2 -
u2 =
a 3
=

v = .

74
I
V 0m
=

82 82
a ?
a
- =
=

2x3

64 6 m/s
-

= 10 -