1.6 Acceleration equation
Acceleration calculations use change in velocity divided by time, including rearrangements for time or final velocity in motion contexts with consistent units.
- Syllabus
- 2024
- Objective
- 1.6
- Level
- —
Exam analysis
Chance of appearing14%of analysed past papers
Latest appearanceMay 2025
Most common paperPaper1P
Typical marks1–3
Common command terms
- State
- Calculate
Scoring notes
- Common mistake
- Using a single velocity value instead of the change in velocity.
Recent exam appearances
May 2025Paper1PR [] · TZ06(a)[ 3 ]1.6 Acceleration equation
May 2024Paper2PR [null] · TZ08(a)(ii)[ 3 ]1.6 Acceleration equation
Jan 2021Paper2P [null] · TZ08(c)(ii)[ 4 ]1.6 Acceleration equation
Jan 2021Paper1P [null] · TZ02(b)(iii)[ 3 ]1.6 Acceleration equation
Jan 2021Paper1P [null] · TZ02(b)(ii)[ 1 ]1.6 Acceleration equation
Practice this objective
Coverage 2020–2025 · Updated 16 Jul 2026
1.6 Acceleration equation
Know and use acceleration = change in velocity ÷ time taken, a = (v − u) ÷ t.
Concept essentials
- Acceleration equals change in velocity divided by time taken.
- Change in velocity means final velocity minus initial velocity.
- The acceleration equation can be rearranged to find time or final velocity.
- Velocity readings from graphs must match the correct interval before substitution.