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angular acceleration

American  

noun

Physics.
  1. the time rate of change of angular velocity of a rotating body.


angular acceleration British  

noun

  1. the rate of change of angular velocity

  2. astronautics the acceleration of a space vehicle around an axis

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

angular acceleration Scientific  
/ ănggyə-lər /
  1. The rate of change of angular velocity with respect to time. Angular acceleration is measured in revolutions per minute squared or in radians per second squared.


Etymology

Origin of angular acceleration

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As in linear kinematics, we assume a is constant, which means that angular acceleration α is also a constant, because a = rα .

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

For example, the greater the angular acceleration of a car's drive wheels, the greater the acceleration of the car.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

For example, if a motorcycle wheel has a large angular acceleration for a fairly long time, it ends up spinning rapidly and rotates through many revolutions.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

Once the angular acceleration α is known, the final angular velocity and rotational kinetic energy can be calculated.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

The sensations produced by angular acceleration last longer than the acceleration itself, and the position of the head during the movements enables us to determine direction.”

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various