How it works
Acceleration is how quickly velocity changes. Average acceleration is the change in speed divided by the time it took, regardless of how smooth the change was.
A negative result means the object slowed down. The calculator also expresses the answer in g, where 1 g = 9.80665 m/s² is standard gravity, a convenient yardstick for how hard the acceleration feels.
The distance shown assumes constant acceleration, which makes it the average of the two speeds multiplied by the time.
Formula
a = (v_f − v_i) ÷ t
Questions people ask
What acceleration is 0–60 mph in 6 seconds?
60 mph is 26.82 m/s, so 26.82 ÷ 6 = 4.47 m/s², or about 0.46 g.
What does a negative acceleration mean?
The object is slowing down in the direction you measured speed. Braking from 60 to 0 mph in 3 seconds is about −8.9 m/s², or 0.91 g.
What is 1 g?
Standard gravity, defined as exactly 9.80665 m/s² (32.174 ft/s²). It is roughly the acceleration of a dropped object near Earth’s surface, ignoring air resistance.