The change in velocity is typically referred to as acceleration; however, this particular change in velocity can be either negative or positive. Conventionally, the positive change in velocity is known as acceleration; whereas, a negative change in velocity corresponds to deceleration or retardation of the moving object. Retardation is generally observed when the speed of the moving object begins to reduce gradually or the moving object tends to slow down. In simple words, retardation is nothing but negative acceleration. The S.I unit of retardation is metre per second squared, which is the same as that of the acceleration.
Retardation Examples in Real Life
There are a number of daily life applications where the real-life application of retardation can be observed. A few of them are listed below:
1. Throwing an Object
When an object such as a ball, a stone, or any other substance is thrown up in the air, it tends to travel straight till it reaches a particular point in the air. After reaching the peak point, the object begins to return back to the ground. The change in the value of velocity builds when the object travels in the upward direction and tends to reduce gradually when the object returns back to the ground. This reduction in the value of velocity with respect to time is nothing but retardation.
2. Applying Brakes to the Vehicle
The application of the retardation phenomenon in real life can be observed while pulling the brakes of a vehicle to stop its motion. When the brakes of a vehicle are applied, the velocity with which the vehicle moves begins to decrease at a particular rate. This corresponds to a negative rate of change of velocity that is typically known as retardation of the vehicle.
3. Turning Off the Fan
When the switch of a moving fan is turned off, the rate of movement of the fan blades begins to reduce gradually. This rate of reduction of the velocity observed as a result is lower than the initial rate of change of velocity of the fan blades and is known as retardation.
4. Slowing Down Swing
When a swing is not supplied with an appropriate amount of mechanical force, it tends to lose energy and slow down. Here, the rate at which the swing moves is known as the acceleration value, while the rate of velocity at which it tends to slow down is called the retardation of the swing.
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