Question

How can acceleration change the motion of an object?

Answer 1

Hint: You could first define the term acceleration. Then you could define the quantities that are directly affected by changing the acceleration which further affects the motion of a particular object. You could then explain how the motion is affected by virtue of acceleration directly or indirectly.

Complete answer:
In the question, we are asked how the acceleration could change the motion of certain objects.
In order to answer this question, one should be well versed with the concept of acceleration. Acceleration by definition is the rate of change of velocity. Velocity is the physical quantity that is the measure of how fast a particular object is moving.
The acceleration could result in change in velocity both in direction as well as magnitude.
The magnitude of the velocity is affected depending upon the relative direction of velocity and acceleration. When both are in the same direction the velocity is increased and hence the object speeds up. When directed opposite to each other, the velocity is decreased, that is, the body slows down.
Acceleration affects the direction of velocity in more than two dimensions. Take for example the case of circular motion. There, the velocity vector is found to be tangential to the trajectory of the body undergoing circular motion and the acceleration directed to the centre lying perpendicular to it.
The acceleration by definition is the time rate of change of velocity which can be mathematically given by the expression,
$\dfrac{dv}{dt}=a$

Note:
The SI unit of acceleration is found to be meter per second squared$\left( m{{s}^{-2}} \right)$. For the case of circular motion, the acceleration has a particular name which is centripetal acceleration and is given by,
${{a}_{c}}=\dfrac{{{v}^{2}}}{r}$
Here, v is the tangential velocity and r is the radius of the circular trajectory that the object takes.