NO! Decelerate is not a correct term if you are describing the motion of the object using physics terms. "Deceleration" is no different from acceleration, it's just a term created by people who aren't physicists to describe an object that is slowing down. It's actually a pet peeve of a lot of physicists although they probably wouldn't become visibly upset by it. It's like someone pronouncing your hometown incorrectly or nails grinding on a chalkboard.
Think of throwing a ball up in the air. You might say it decelerates as it approaches its peak height, but is it still decelerating as it falls down? No, you would have to say it's accelerating. This implies that the motion of the object changes, but it's really been under constant acceleration the whole time. That's why I don't like the term anyway.
2007-02-17 15:03:04
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answer #1
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answered by Chris S 3
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I was always taught that deceleration should be referred to as acceleration in the opposite direction.
After all, if the same force is continually applied until the object starts moving in the opposite direction, does it decelerate until it stops, and then accelerate? The force applied to it doesn't change.
2007-02-17 15:41:54
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answer #2
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answered by Me 6
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I always say decelerate when I'm talking about an object that has an acceleration in the opposite direction of it's motion and acceleration when it's the same way.
2007-02-17 14:38:45
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answer #3
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answered by Anonymous
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When an object is slowing down it surely can be said to be decelerating. But when an object starts moving in opposite direction it surely experiences deceleration at first but once its velocity is reversed then the same acceleration will help to increase its velocity and hence will be said to be accelerated
2007-02-17 17:18:47
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answer #4
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answered by Tariq M 3
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First we choose a reference direction.
And we also choose that direction as positive.
Acceleration is a vector and has a direction.
If the direction of that acceleration is in the direction which we have taken as positive then the acceleration is said to be in the positive direction.
Otherwise, that is, if it is opposite to the chosen positive direction then the acceleration is said to be negative acceleration or deceleration.
2007-02-17 17:41:39
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answer #5
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answered by Pearlsawme 7
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You just use "decelerate" to refer to negative acceleration. So the answer to your question is yes. I suspect you'd get some strange looks if you use the word to refer to things accelerating in a the opposite direction outside of class though. It's like the word "inflammable" . . . if you didn't know, you might think that the "in" meant "not" and that "inflammable" must therefore mean the substance is not combustible. "Flammable" was not considered a word for a long time, but they found it helpful to coin the word to put on the sides of tanker trucks to avoid confusion. Consult "The Elements of Style" for a discussion. Good night!
OK, apparently the full text of "The Elements of Style" is online. So here is the discussion I was talking about:
"Flammable. An oddity, chiefly useful in saving lives. The common word meaning "combustible" is inflammable. But some people are thrown off by the in- and think inflammable means "not combustible." For this reason, trucks carrying gasoline or explosives are now marked FLAMMABLE. Unless you are operating such a truck and hence are concerned with the safety of children and illiterates, use inflammable."
Source: http://orwell.ru/library/others/style/e/estyle_4.htm
Good night!
2007-02-17 14:38:18
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answer #6
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answered by anonymous 7
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i think of a few human beings consult with faith as "brainwashing" because of the fact they for my section experience they have been prompted by ability of family participants and society (predominately from an early age) to have self assurance in a faith they might no longer thoroughly have self assurance in. as a result, those all people is left with a feeling of being wrongly prompted by ability of the precise same human beings they believe. The term "brainwashing" is obviously a very damaging term to throw around, and must be fairly of an over-exaggeration, yet human beings subsequently are often describing the term from a private point.
2016-11-23 15:59:01
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answer #7
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answered by Anonymous
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You are not picking a nit, here. It is perfectly acceptable to say decelerate under these two conditions.
HTH
Charles
2007-02-17 14:42:10
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answer #8
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answered by Charles 6
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