Enter the lateral force and the object’s mass into the calculator to determine the Lateral Acceleration. 

Lateral Acceleration Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Lateral Acceleration.

LA = LF / m
  • Where LA is the Lateral Acceleration (m/s^2)
  • LF is the lateral force (N)
  • m is the object’s mass (kg)

To calculate the lateral acceleration, simply divide the lateral force by the object’s mass.

What are the units for Lateral Acceleration?

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

How to Calculate Lateral Acceleration?

Example Problem:

The following example problem outlines the steps and information required to calculate the Lateral Acceleration.

First, determine the lateral force. In this example, the lateral force is measured to be 65 (N).

Next, determine the object’s mass. For this problem, the object’s mass is calculated to be 5 (kg).

Finally, calculate the Lateral Acceleration using the formula above: 

LA = LF / m

Inserting the values from above and solving the equation gives us: 

LA = 65 / 5 = 13 (m/s^2)