If an object's acceleration is -5 m/s², what can be said about its motion?

When an object's acceleration is given as -5 m/s², it indicates that the object is undergoing deceleration or negative acceleration. In the context of motion, this means that the object is experiencing a reduction in speed over time.

If we consider a scenario where the object was initially moving in a positive direction, the negative acceleration implies that the velocity of the object is decreasing. For instance, if it was moving forward and its acceleration is acting in the opposite direction, it will slow down until it might eventually stop or even start moving in the opposite direction, depending on the context of the situation.

Understanding acceleration helps in interpreting motion: positive acceleration generally means the object is speeding up, while negative acceleration or deceleration indicates that the object is slowing down.

In this case, since the object has a negative acceleration of -5 m/s², it is accurate to conclude that the object is slowing down.