acceleration

/æk'selə'reiʃn/

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Word: Acceleration

Part of Speech: Noun

Basic Definition: Acceleration refers to the increase in speed or the rate at which something speeds up. In simpler terms, it is how quickly something is going faster.

Usage Instructions:

• When to use: You can use "acceleration" when talking about things that are speeding up, whether it’s a car, a person, or even changes in society.
• How to use: It is often used in scientific contexts, especially in physics, but can also be used in everyday conversation to describe changes in speed or growth.

Example Sentences:

1. Physics Example: "The car experienced a rapid acceleration when the driver pressed the gas pedal."
2. Cultural Change Example: "The invention of the internet caused an acceleration of cultural change around the world."

Advanced Usage:

• In physics, acceleration is specifically defined as the change in velocity over time. It can be measured in meters per second squared (m/s²).
• You might encounter phrases like "uniform acceleration," which means the speed increases at a constant rate.

Word Variants:

• Accelerate (verb): To make something go faster. Example: "The athlete needs to accelerate during the last lap of the race."
• Accelerating (adjective): Describing something that is increasing in speed. Example: "The accelerating train made it to the station in record time."

Different Meanings:

1. General Use: Accelerating change in society or technology means that things are happening more quickly than before.
2. Physics: In a scientific context, it refers strictly to the increase in velocity.

Synonyms:

• Speeding up
• Quickening
• Hastening
• Advancing

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs:

• "Accelerate the process": This means to make something happen more quickly. Example: "We need to accelerate the process of completing the project."
• "Hit the gas": An informal way to say to speed up.

Academic

Noun

1. (physics) a rate of increase of velocity
2. the act of accelerating; increasing the speed
3. an increase in rate of change
   • modern science caused an acceleration of cultural change

Synonyms

• quickening
• speedup