What does acceleration refer to in physical science?

Acceleration in physical science specifically refers to the rate of change of velocity of an object. This means it measures how quickly an object’s speed or direction changes over time. When an object accelerates, it could either be increasing its speed, decreasing its speed (which is known as deceleration), or changing direction while moving at a constant speed.

Understanding acceleration is crucial because it provides insights into how forces act on objects. For example, when a car speeds up, it is accelerating; when it slows down to stop, it is also accelerating but in the opposite direction of its original motion. This concept is foundational in physics, as it relates closely to Newton's laws of motion, which describe how movement changes in response to applied forces.

In contrast, other options like speed or total distance traveled do not capture the dynamic and directional change in motion that acceleration signifies. Speed is simply a measure of how fast something is moving at a given moment without regard for changes in velocity, while total distance does not account for the direction of movement or any changes in that movement.