Radial Acceleration

Definition

Radial acceleration refers specifically to acceleration directed towards or away from the center of rotation. It occurs when there is either speeding up or slowing down while moving along a curved path.

Analogy

Picture yourself driving on a curved road. When you press the gas pedal to speed up or hit the brakes to slow down, you experience a force that pushes you towards or away from the center of the curve. This force is similar to radial acceleration.

Related terms

Tangential Velocity: Tangential velocity refers to the linear velocity of an object moving along a curved path tangent to its circular motion.

Angular Acceleration: Angular acceleration represents how quickly an object's angular velocity changes over time.

Centripetal Acceleration: Centripetal acceleration is a type of radial acceleration that specifically points towards the center of rotation in circular motion.