EasyPhysicsHigh School (9–10)GeneralMechanics › Motion in a Straight LineConceptual

Is it always true that a negative acceleration means slowing down?

Try it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.

Is it always true that a negative acceleration means slowing down? Take east as positive. A car moving west speeds up from $8\ \text{m/s}$ to $18\ \text{m/s}$ in $5\ \text{s}$ . What is its acceleration?

Need a reminder? The key ideaShow

Acceleration $a = \dfrac{v - u}{t}$ , in $\text{m/s}^2$ . It is positive when the velocity grows and negative when it falls in the positive direction.

The worked solution

Have you tried it?

Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.

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