Spatial acceleration
Encyclopedia
In physics
the study of rigid body motion provides for several ways of defining the acceleration state of a rigid body. The classical definition of acceleration entails following a single particle/point along the rigid body and observing its changes of velocity
. In this article the notion of spatial acceleration is explored, which entails looking at a fixed (unmoving) point in space and observing the changes of velocity
of whatever particle/point happens to coincide with the observation point. This is similar to the acceleration definition fluid dynamics where typically one can measure velocity and/or accelerations on a fixed locate inside a testing apparatus.
The spatial acceleration
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
the study of rigid body motion provides for several ways of defining the acceleration state of a rigid body. The classical definition of acceleration entails following a single particle/point along the rigid body and observing its changes of velocity
Velocity
In physics, velocity is speed in a given direction. Speed describes only how fast an object is moving, whereas velocity gives both the speed and direction of the object's motion. To have a constant velocity, an object must have a constant speed and motion in a constant direction. Constant ...
. In this article the notion of spatial acceleration is explored, which entails looking at a fixed (unmoving) point in space and observing the changes of velocity
Velocity
In physics, velocity is speed in a given direction. Speed describes only how fast an object is moving, whereas velocity gives both the speed and direction of the object's motion. To have a constant velocity, an object must have a constant speed and motion in a constant direction. Constant ...
of whatever particle/point happens to coincide with the observation point. This is similar to the acceleration definition fluid dynamics where typically one can measure velocity and/or accelerations on a fixed locate inside a testing apparatus.
Definition
Consider a moving rigid body and the velocity of a particle/point P along the body being a function of time and position.The spatial acceleration