Direction of Acceleration and Velocity

Scenario

A car is traveling along a road. Select different combinations of velocity and acceleration directions to see how the car's speed and direction of motion change over time.

Velocity (v)
Acceleration (a)
Path

Worksheet Scenarios

Playback

Speed: —
Turning: —
Angle (a, v): —
Current Speed: —

How to Interpret the Motion

  • Angle between a and v: Acute (< 90°) → speeding up; Obtuse (> 90°) → slowing down; Right angle (90°) → constant speed
  • Turning direction: If a points left of v → counterclockwise; If a points right of v → clockwise
  • Watch the path: The purple trail shows how the car curves based on the acceleration direction

Key Concept

An object in uniform circular motion (constant speed) has acceleration directed toward the center of the circle, perpendicular to velocity. This centripetal acceleration changes direction without changing speed.