Kiihtymis

Kiihtymis refers to the process of acceleration in Finnish. It describes the rate at which an object's velocity changes over time. This change in velocity can involve an increase in speed, a decrease in speed, or a change in direction. In physics, kiihtymis is a fundamental concept and is formally defined as the derivative of velocity with respect to time.

The SI unit for kiihtymis is meters per second squared (m/s²). An object experiences kiihtymis when a net force acts upon it, as described by Newton's second law of motion, which states that force equals mass times acceleration (F=ma). Therefore, a greater force results in greater kiihtymis, assuming the mass remains constant. Conversely, a larger mass will result in less kiihtymis for the same applied force.

Examples of kiihtymis are abundant in everyday life. When a car speeds up from a stop, it is undergoing positive kiihtymis. When a car brakes, it is undergoing negative kiihtymis, also known as deceleration. When a vehicle turns a corner, even if its speed remains constant, it is still experiencing kiihtymis because its direction of motion is changing. Understanding kiihtymis is crucial in fields ranging from mechanics and engineering to astronomy and astrophysics.