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Direction of Acceleration:
Acceleration is a vector quantity and it has a direction. For an object moving in a straight line, the direction of the acceleration is dependent upon two factors:
- the direction that the object moves, and
- whether the object is speeding up or slowing down
If an object is speeding up, then the direction of the acceleration is in the same direction that the object is moving. If an object is slowing down, then the direction of its acceleration is in the opposite direction that the object is moving.
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The direction of an object's velocity is always in the same direction that the object moves. Whether or not there is an acceleration can be determined using the Physics Rules section below. If there is an acceleration, its direction must be decided upon. Use the principle in the Physics Rules section above to determine the direction of the acceleration.
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Constant Velocity versus Accelerated Motion:
An object that moves with a constant velocity is moving with a constant speed in an unchanging direction. The distance traveled in each consecutive second is the same. An object that has an accelerated motion is changing its velocity. It could be speeding up, slowing down or changing direction. If the object is slowing down, then the amount of distance traveled in each second is decreasing. If the object is speeding up, it is covering a greater distance in each consecutive second.
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