Acceleration Calculator
Calculate acceleration from initial velocity, final velocity, and time. Useful for physics homework, vehicle testing, motion analysis, and engineering estimates.
Enter the starting speed, ending speed, and time to find acceleration in m/s^2, km/h/s, ft/s^2, or g.
Acceleration Calculator
Velocity before the change in motion.
Velocity after acceleration or deceleration.
Time taken for the velocity change.
The result is saved in your browser until you clear it.
Change in velocity over time
Enter initial velocity, final velocity, and time, then calculate.
Acceleration will appear here
What Is Acceleration?
Acceleration is the rate at which velocity changes over time. If an object speeds up, slows down, or changes direction, it is accelerating. That makes acceleration one of the most important measurements in physics and engineering.
Positive acceleration means velocity is increasing. Negative acceleration means the motion is slowing down or decelerating. The calculator below uses the basic physics equation for constant acceleration, so it works well for homework problems, vehicle testing, and motion analysis.
How It Works
The calculator converts your velocity and time inputs into standard units first. Then it applies the acceleration formula to find the change in velocity per second.
- Input: initial velocity, final velocity, and time
- Conversion: values are normalized to m/s and seconds
- Output: acceleration in m/s^2, km/h/s, ft/s^2, or g
Formula Summary
The calculator uses the constant acceleration formula. When the motion is uniform, the same result can also help estimate average velocity and displacement.
a = (v - u) / tv = u + ats = ((u + v) / 2) x t1 g = 9.80665 m/s^2Quick Reference Values
These sample values use the same formula as the calculator and assume constant acceleration.
| Initial Velocity | Final Velocity | Time | Acceleration | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 m/s | 10 m/s | 5 s | 2.00 m/s^2 | Speeding Up |
| 0 km/h | 100 km/h | 8 s | 3.47 m/s^2 | Car Launch |
| 5 m/s | 15 m/s | 4 s | 2.50 m/s^2 | Smooth Acceleration |
| 20 m/s | 0 m/s | 4 s | -5.00 m/s^2 | Braking |
| 60 km/h | 100 km/h | 5 s | 2.22 m/s^2 | Overtake |
| 60 mph | 0 mph | 6 s | -4.47 m/s^2 | Hard Stop |
| 0 m/s | 5 m/s | 2 s | 2.50 m/s^2 | Quick Launch |
| 0 m/s | 10 m/s | 4 s | 2.50 m/s^2 | Easy Start |
| 0 m/s | 20 m/s | 5 s | 4.00 m/s^2 | Strong Start |
| 5 m/s | 15 m/s | 5 s | 2.00 m/s^2 | City Drive |
| 10 m/s | 30 m/s | 8 s | 2.50 m/s^2 | Steady Gain |
| 20 m/s | 40 m/s | 4 s | 5.00 m/s^2 | Fast Build |
| 30 m/s | 0 m/s | 6 s | -5.00 m/s^2 | Hard Brake |
| 0 km/h | 36 km/h | 6 s | 1.67 m/s^2 | Slow Start |
| 0 km/h | 72 km/h | 6 s | 3.33 m/s^2 | Regular Start |
| 0 km/h | 108 km/h | 6 s | 5.00 m/s^2 | Quick Merge |
| 20 km/h | 80 km/h | 5 s | 3.33 m/s^2 | Traffic Gain |
| 40 km/h | 100 km/h | 4 s | 4.17 m/s^2 | Pass Maneuver |
| 60 km/h | 120 km/h | 10 s | 1.67 m/s^2 | Highway Pull |
| 60 km/h | 0 km/h | 5 s | -3.33 m/s^2 | Gentle Brake |
| 30 mph | 60 mph | 3 s | 4.47 m/s^2 | Road Jump |
| 50 mph | 70 mph | 4 s | 2.24 m/s^2 | Speed Increase |
| 60 mph | 90 mph | 6 s | 2.24 m/s^2 | Passing Speed |
| 80 mph | 40 mph | 8 s | -2.24 m/s^2 | Speed Drop |
| 0 ft/s | 32.174 ft/s | 1 s | 9.81 m/s^2 | 1 g Equivalent |
| 10 ft/s | 30 ft/s | 4 s | 1.52 m/s^2 | Short Burst |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is negative acceleration?
Negative acceleration means the object is slowing down. It is also called deceleration.
Can I use km/h or mph?
Yes. The calculator converts your input speeds into m/s before it solves the formula, then it shows the result in your chosen output unit.
Does this assume constant acceleration?
Yes. The formula is best for motion where velocity changes at a steady rate during the time interval.
What does 1 g mean?
One g is the acceleration due to Earth gravity, which is about 9.80665 m/s^2.