Enter the angular acceleration and the radius into the calculator to determine the Linear Acceleration. 

Linear Acceleration Formula

The following equation is used to calculate the Linear Acceleration.

AL = aa * r
  • Where AL is the Linear Acceleration (m/s^2)
  • aa is the angular acceleration (rad/s^2)
  • r is the radius (m)

To calculate linear acceleration, multiply the angular acceleration by the radius.

What are the units for Linear Acceleration?

In the International System of Units, also known as SI units, the units for Linear Acceleration are m/s^2.

How to Calculate Linear Acceleration?

Example Problem:

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

First, determine the angular acceleration. In this example, the angular acceleration is calculated or measured to be 100 (rad/s^2).

Next, determine the radius. For this problem, the radius is determined to be 20 (m).

Finally, calculate the Linear Acceleration using the formula above: 

AL = aa * r

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

AL = 100 * 20 = 2,000 (m/s^2)