Currently, I am working on a homework assignment involving an iguana and the acceleration of it's tongue to catch prey. For some reason, though, my teacher did not go over some parts of it, and neither does the book, and I cannot find the definition for "the magnitude of acceleration". I know of course that acceleration is V/s, but fail to see exactly what "the magnitude" means.

 

Can you please help? Please and thank you.

Perhaps it refers to acceleration as a vector and wants you to find the magnitude (value) of it?

I'm sorry if I sound ignorant, but I know very little about vectors... Could you please explain just a bit more?

Vectors have a magnitude (size) and a direction. Velocity, for example, has a magnitude (speed) and a direction (where it's going). Acceleration can work in a particular direction as well -- you can be accelerated in a certain direction. They're asking for the magnitude of the acceleration, not the direction.

Ok. Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it.