The unit to measure speed is m/s which in a straightforward manner implies that x metres is covered per second however the unit for acceleration is m/s^2 which is kind of making it difficult to understand how it works..
I had this thought in the middle of a physics test and have been pondering ever since. Would be great if someone could eli5.
In: Physics
Velocity (m/s – x metres per second): Every second, your position changes by x metres in a given direction.
Acceleration (m/s^2 – x metres per second, *per second*): Every second, your velocity in a given direction changes by x metres per second. – “Metres per second squared” is basically just a shorthand.
So if your velocity is currently “7 metres per second” (7 m/s), and your acceleration in the same direction is “2 metres per second, per second” (2 m/s^2 ), that 7 will grow by 2 every second. After 1 second, your velocity will be 9 m/s. After 2 seconds, 11 m/s. And so on.
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