Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) Secondary Integrated Science Practice test

Disable ads (and more) with a membership for a one time $2.99 payment

Prepare for the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) Secondary Integrated Science exam. Utilize flashcards and multiple-choice questions with hints and explanations to succeed in your certification.

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

Practice this question and more.

How is 'acceleration' calculated?

Distance divided by time
Change in speed over distance
Change in velocity divided by time
Speed per unit of time

The correct answer is: Change in velocity divided by time

Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity over time. In physics, velocity is a vector quantity that encompasses both speed and direction, making acceleration a critical concept for understanding how objects change their speed or direction in response to forces. To find the acceleration, you measure the difference between the final velocity and the initial velocity of an object, then divide that change by the time during which the change occurs. This captures how quickly the velocity of an object is changing, either speeding up or slowing down. The other options represent different concepts: distance divided by time refers to speed, change in speed over distance is not a standard measure in physics, and speed per unit of time does not fully capture the idea of acceleration, which includes directional change as well as how speed varies over time. Understanding these distinctions is crucial for accurately interpreting the concept of acceleration in motion.