Kaplan Nursing Entrance Exam Practice 2025 – Comprehensive Prep

Acceleration is defined as the change in velocity over time. Velocity itself is measured in meters per second (m/s), and since acceleration involves a change in this velocity over a certain period of time, the unit of measure for acceleration combines these two quantities.

To derive the unit of acceleration, you take the unit of velocity (m/s) and divide it by time, which is measured in seconds (s). This gives you the formula for acceleration as:

Acceleration = change in velocity (m/s) / time (s) = m/s².

Thus, the correct unit of measure for acceleration is expressed as meters per second squared (m/s²). This reflects how much velocity changes in one second, making it a fundamental concept in both physics and engineering.

The other units mentioned relate to different physical quantities: meters per second (m/s) is a unit of velocity, cubic kilograms per meter (kg/m³) is a unit of density, and Newtons (N) is a unit of force. Each of these serves a distinct purpose in mechanics but does not represent acceleration.