The Physics
Factbook
An encyclopedia of scientific essays

Acceleration of a Car

An educational, fair use website

search icon
Bibliographic Entry Result
(w/surrounding text)
Standardized
Result
Zitzewitz, Paul. Merrill Physics Principles and Problems. New York: Glencoe, 1995: 91. "A drag racer tries to obtain maximum acceleration over a quarter mile course. The fastest time on record for the quarter mile is 4.801 seconds. The highest final speed on record is 301.70 miles per hour." ~28 m/s2
2008 Aston Martin DBS 2008. Aston Martin. "Acceleration: 0-100km/h (62mph) 4.3 seconds" 6.5 m/s2
Wardell, Gareth. 2007 Jaguar XK Coupe Review - A Love Story. The Auto Channel. "0-60(mph): 5.9 seconds" 4.5 m/s2
2002 Ferrari Enzo Technical Specifications. Carfolio. "0-100 km/h 3.65 s" 7.6 m/s2
"B" 0-60 and ¼ mile times for Factory Stock Vehicles. Albee Digital. "Bugatti 2006 Veyron 2.3 [0-60] 10.8 [¼ mile] (C&D Jan '06)" 11.59 m/s2
"1983 Buick Century T Type 14.1 [0-60] 19.5 [¼ mile]" 1.902 m/s2

In order to find out the specific acceleration of a car, the following formula is necessary:

a = ∆v/∆t = (vf − vi)/(tfti)

Where

  a = acceleration
v = change in velocity
 vi = initial velocity
 vf = final velocity
t = change in ime

A car that can accelerate in a short amount of time is considered to be eye candy for anyone with a taste in vehicles. The faster that a car can accelerate to a high velocity is crucial to its performance and handling. A car's acceleration is calculated when the car is not in motion (0 mph), until the amount of time it takes to reach a velocity of 60 miles per hour. This means that the initial velocity is zero and the final velocity is 60 miles per hour (26.82 meters per second). In other areas of the world, it's 0 to 100 km/h (27.78 meters per second).

When looking at the specifications for cars, you can see their rate of acceleration, their maximum speed, the horsepower of the car, and braking distance. All of these are important facts to know about your car, so you know how it performs. When in the market for cars, the consumer distinguishes what type of car that they are buying by the rate of acceleration; the faster acceleration, the more powerful, or sporty a car will be. A slower acceleration rate means that the car is weaker and will take longer to respond to the driver’s controls. Acceleration is necessary when avoiding a crash. Also, when gaining a high speed in a short distance.

Daniel Framer -- 2008

Bibliographic Entry Result
(w/surrounding text)
Standardized
Result
Zitzewitz, Paul. Merrill Physics Principles and Problems. New York: Glencoe, 1995: 91. "A drag racer tries to obtain maximum acceleration over a quarter mile course. The fastest time on record for the quarter mile is 4.801 seconds. The highest final speed on record is 301.70 miles per hour." 28.1 m/s2
2000 Acura Integra GS Coupe. Edmunds. "Acceleration (0–60 mph): 7.9 sec." 3.4 m/s2
Jaguar XK8 (2001). The Auto Channel. "0–60 mph 7.0 seconds" 3.8 m/s2
Taruffi, Piero. The Technique of Motor Racing. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Robert Bently, 1958: 58. "exceed an acceleration of 6 mph/sec" 2.7 m/s2
2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT. Edmunds. "Acceleration (0-60 mph): 7.0 sec." 3.8 m/s2

A high performance car is basically any automobile that can accelerate very quickly in a short amount of time. To calculate the actual acceleration you need to use the formula

a = Δv/t = vf – vi/t

where a is the acceleration, Δv (delta vee) is the change in velocity, vi is the initial velocity, vf is the final velocity, and t equals time. The acceleration of cars in the United States is stated as a "zero to sixty" time, where vi is zero and vf is 60 miles per hour or 27 meters per second.

The average rate of acceleration of all the ordinary cars I found was between 3 and 4 m/s2. You can find the acceleration of any car listed under its performance. Under these categories you can also find other important information such as a car's horsepower and braking distance. The acceleration of a car is important to know because it tells you how the car handles (how it performs) during merging and evasive maneuvering.

Meredith Barricella -- 2001