Calculate signed change in velocity along one direction from acceleration and elapsed time, initial and final velocity, net impulse and constant mass, or net force, constant mass, and elapsed time.

Use signed values along one direction. Acceleration must be constant or averaged over the interval.

Change in Velocity Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Change in Velocity.

ΔV = a × ΔT
  • Where ΔV is the change in velocity (m/s)
  • a is the constant or interval-average acceleration (m/s^2)
  • ΔT is the nonnegative elapsed time (s)

For constant or interval-average acceleration, multiply elapsed time by acceleration. The other modes use Δv = final velocity − initial velocity, Δv = net impulse / mass, or Δv = average net force × elapsed time / mass; impulse and force methods assume constant positive mass.

What is a Change in Velocity?

Definition:

Velocity is directional. This calculator finds a signed one-dimensional change using the same axis and reference frame for all values. A negative change is toward the negative direction and does not necessarily mean a decrease in speed.

How to Calculate Change in Velocity?

Example Problem:

The following example outlines the steps and information needed to calculate Change in Velocity.

First, determine the acceleration. In this example, the acceleration is found to be 150 m/s^2.

Next, determine the change in time. For this problem, the time is found to be 10 s.

Finally, calculate the Change in Velocity using the formula above:

ΔV = a * ΔT

ΔV = 150*10

ΔV = 1,500 m/s