SUVAT equations
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The SUVAT equations are five basic equations used to describe motion of a classical system under constant acceleration. They are named SUVAT equations after the five variables that they contain.
[edit] Variables
There are five variables used in the SUVAT equations. Each of the five equations uses all but one of these variables. The variables and their dimensions are given below.
Displacement. Units of m (meters, i.e distance from start).
Initial velocity. Units of ms − 1 (meters per second, i.e speed and direction).
Final velocity. Units of ms − 1 (meters per second, i.e speed and direction).
Acceleration. Units of ms − 2 (meters per second squared, i.e rate of change of speed, and direction).- t Time. Units of s (seconds, i.e an amount of time).
Note that all variables besides time are vectors, as they have a direction as well as magnitude.
[edit] Equations
The individual SUVAT equations are listed below. It is important to remember that these equations only work in situations involving constant acceleration. For non-constant acceleration, calculus must be used.
