In physics, acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity, or, equivalently, as the second derivative of position. It is thus a vector quantity with dimension length/time². In SI units, acceleration is measured in meters/second² (m·s-²). The term "acceleration" generally refers to the change in instantaneous velocity.
In common speech, the term acceleration is only used for an increase in speed. In physics, any increase or decrease in speed is referred to as acceleration and similarly, motion in a circle at constant speed is also an acceleration, since the direction component of the velocity is changing. See also Newton's Laws of Motion.
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