How does instantaneous acceleration differ from average acceleration?
AInstantaneous acceleration is the acceleration at one specific moment in time
BInstantaneous acceleration always equals zero at every moment
CAverage acceleration only applies to objects that are speeding up
DAverage acceleration cannot be calculated without knowing the mass
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Instantaneous acceleration is the acceleration at one specific moment in time
1. Average acceleration is found over an entire time interval, using only the start and end velocities.
2. Instantaneous acceleration instead describes one single moment within that interval.
3. The two only coincide when the acceleration never changes throughout the interval.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 "Acceleration", section 3.1 Acceleration_
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