Average Acceleration Calculator
Calculate average acceleration from the change in velocity over time — enter the initial and final velocity and the time interval to get a = Δv ÷ Δt.
How to calculate average acceleration
Average acceleration is the change in velocity divided by the time it took. Subtract the initial velocity from the final velocity, then divide by the time elapsed. The result is in metres per second squared (m/s²) when velocity is in m/s and time in seconds.
a = Δv ÷ Δt = (v_final − v_initial) ÷ time
For example, a car going from 0 to 27 m/s (about 60 mph) in 9 seconds has an average acceleration of (27 − 0) ÷ 9 = 3 m/s². A negative result means the object is slowing down. This is the average over the interval — not the instantaneous acceleration at any single moment.
It’s the same idea as an average rate of change, applied to velocity over time.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate average acceleration?
Average acceleration is the change in velocity divided by the time it took: a = (v_final − v_initial) ÷ Δt. For example, going from 0 to 27 m/s in 9 seconds is (27 − 0) ÷ 9 = 3 m/s².
What is average acceleration?
It is how quickly velocity changes on average over a time interval, measured in metres per second squared (m/s²). A positive value means speeding up in the chosen direction; a negative value means slowing down.
What is the formula for average acceleration?
a = Δv ÷ Δt = (v_final − v_initial) ÷ time elapsed. Keep velocity in consistent units (such as m/s) and time in seconds to get m/s².