Question

What are some examples of acceleration?

Answer 1

Answer to the secondary question: What law of motion is this?

Newton's Second Law of Motion relates changes in acceleration to changes in forces applied to a mass.

Explanation:

In the information about the car slowing down or speeding up, the car is the body that is affected and is the mass. Mass itself is defined as the resistance of a body to change in motion.

So if we want to change the motion of the car mass we will need to apply a force on the car. The force we apply will come from the controls we have over the motion of the car.

If we want to speed up, we apply more gas to go faster. If we want to speed down, we apply the brake to go slower. If we want to speed sideways we turn the steering wheel to change our direction. Each one of these changes in speed of the mass (m) is an acceleration (a) that results from the application of a force (f).

Newton formulated this application with: `F=ma`

The formula indicates direct proportionality between `F` and `a` where the `m` (our car) is constant.

That means as the force `F uarr` then the `a uarr`. So if you use the gas pedal properly (no skidding) you can zoom away really fast, and if you jump on the brake, you can stop uncomfortably. Hard turns will make your head spin.

Thanks Newton!

These guys will tell you more:
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/newtlaws/Lesson-3/Newton-s-Second-Law