Enter the velocity before braking and the total stopping distance into the calculator to determine the Braking Acceleration.

## Braking Acceleration Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Braking Acceleration.

Ab = V^2  / (2*SD)

• Where Ab is the Braking Acceleration (m/s^2)
• V is the velocity before braking (m/s)
• SD is the total stopping distance (m)

Braking acceleration is also often referred to as braking deceleration.

## What are the units for Braking Acceleration?

The most common units for Braking Acceleration are m/s^2.

## How to Calculate Braking Acceleration?

Example Problem:

The following example problem outlines the steps and information needed to calculate the Braking Acceleration.

First, determine the velocity before braking. In this example, the velocity before braking is determined to be 150 (m/s).

Next, determine the total stopping distance. For this problem, the total stopping distance is measured to be 10 (m).

Finally, calculate the Braking Acceleration using the formula above:

Ab = V^2  / (2*SD)

Inserting the values from above and solving the equation with the imputed values gives:

Ab = 150^2  / (2*10) = 1125 (m/s^2)