The rate of decrease in velocity of a body with time is called retardation or deceleration.
The preferred term in physics to describe the decrease in an object’s velocity is deceleration. Deceleration is simply the negative of acceleration or a change in velocity where the final velocity is less than the initial velocity. It is measured in the same units as acceleration, meters per second squared (m/s²), but with a negative sign (e.g., -5 m/s²).
Examples of deceleration in physics include:
- A ball is thrown upwards slowing down due to gravity.
- A car braking to come to a stop.
- A rocket slows down after reaching its peak altitude.
