Identify the given quantities (initial velocity (v_0), final velocity (v), time (t), displacement (s), or acceleration (a)).
Use the appropriate constant-acceleration equation:
(v = v_0 + at)
(a = dfrac{v – v_0}{t})
(s = v_0 t + dfrac{1}{2}at^2)
(a = dfrac{2(s – v_0 t)}{t^2})
(v^2 = v_0^2 + 2as)
(a = dfrac{v^2 – v_0^2}{2s})
If acceleration is changing with time:
Use the definition (a(t) = dfrac{dv}{dt})
If velocity is given as a function of time (v(t)), differentiate to get (a(t))
If position is given as a function of time (x(t)), use (a(t) = dfrac{d^2x}{dt^2})
If acceleration is found from a graph:
From a velocity–time graph, slope (a = dfrac{Delta v}{Delta t})
From a position–time graph, slope changes over time; use curvature or compute (a = dfrac{d^2x}{dt^2})
Use units: ( text{m/s}^2 ) (SI) or ( text{ft/s}^2 ) (US)
Include the sign of acceleration based on the chosen direction (positive/negative)