What term describes the rate of change of velocity?

The term that describes the rate of change of velocity is acceleration. Acceleration is a fundamental concept in physics that refers to how quickly an object’s velocity changes over time. It can be thought of as the change in speed or direction of an object in motion.

When an object speeds up, slows down, or changes direction, it experiences acceleration. The unit of acceleration in the International System of Units (SI) is meters per second squared (m/s²). This measure captures not only the change in speed but also the fact that this change occurs over a specific time period, highlighting the dynamic nature of motion.

The other terms listed have different definitions: mass is a measure of the amount of matter in an object, force relates to the interaction that changes an object's motion, and weight is the force exerted by gravity on an object based on its mass. Each of these concepts is crucial in the study of physics but does not pertain to the rate of change of velocity, which is why they are not the correct answer.