SUVAT Kinematics Calculator
SUVAT kinematics calculator — enter any three of displacement, initial velocity, final velocity, acceleration and time, and solve for the rest using the five equations of motion, in SI units with a US/imperial readout. For Cambridge, IB and A-Level physics.
SUVAT Kinematics Calculator
Enter any three of the five values and leave the rest blank — the calculator works out the others. Positive directions are assumed; results are in SI units.
- Curriculum
- English (global) — Cambridge International + IB
- Built against
- Cambridge IGCSE / A-Level Physics 9702 + IB Diploma (2023–2025) — Kinematics
- Unit system
- SI primary; US/imperial readout below
- First published
- 2 Jun 2026
- Last updated
- 2 Jun 2026
View authoritative scientific sources
- NIST SP 811 (2008), §3 — units & conversions
- BIPM SI Brochure, 9th edition (2019)
- Equations of motion — Encyclopædia Britannica
⚠️ Educational use only — see full disclaimer
EDUCATIONAL USE DISCLAIMER
This calculator is provided for educational and reference purposes only. It is not a substitute for instruction from a qualified teacher, your prescribed textbook, or your school's official curriculum materials.
When preparing for examinations, always cross-check our calculations and notation against your current syllabus and your teacher's guidance. Syllabus conventions and accepted notation vary between curricula and may change between examination years.
If you believe any calculation, notation, or curriculum reference in this tool is inaccurate, please let us know via the feedback button. We review feedback promptly and update tools when verified corrections are needed.
RECATOOLS accepts no liability for academic, examination, professional, or research outcomes arising from use of this tool.
How to Use the SUVAT Calculator
Know your three values
Constant-acceleration motion is fully determined by any three of the five SUVAT quantities. Identify which three your problem gives you.
Enter the three values
Type them into the matching fields and leave the unknowns blank. Each field has a unit selector, so you can mix m, km/h, mph and so on.
Read the SI result
The calculator solves the remaining quantities and shows them in SI units (m, m/s, m/s², s), with a dimmed US/imperial readout below.
Mind the signs
Take one direction as positive and keep your signs consistent — a deceleration is a negative acceleration. The Tool Information block lists the syllabus this is built against.
The SUVAT Equations of Motion
SUVAT (constant acceleration)
Example: A ball is dropped from rest (u = 0) and falls for t = 2.0 s with a = 9.81 m/s². Find its final velocity and the distance fallen.
Using v = u + at and s = ut + ½at²:
v = 0 + 9.81 × 2.0 = 19.6 m/s; s = 0 + ½ × 9.81 × 2.0² = 19.6 m
SUVAT is the set of five equations that describe motion under constant acceleration. The name comes from the five quantities they relate: s (displacement), u (initial velocity), v (final velocity), a (acceleration) and t (time). The five equations are v = u + at, s = ½(u + v)t, s = ut + ½at², v² = u² + 2as and s = vt − ½at². Because any three of the five quantities fix the motion completely, this calculator lets you enter the three you know and works out the other two.
Each equation leaves out one of the five quantities, so you can always find one that uses only what you already have. The displacement, velocities and acceleration are vectors, so a single straight line of motion needs a consistent sign convention: pick one direction as positive and treat anything in the opposite direction (such as a deceleration, or gravity acting downward on an upward throw) as negative. This calculator takes positive roots where an equation is squared, which suits most introductory problems; for two-stage journeys, solve each stage separately. Results are shown in SI units with a dimmed US/imperial readout for reference, and everything is computed in your browser, so nothing you type is uploaded and the tool works offline once loaded.
Galileo worked out that all objects fall with the same constant acceleration — the insight at the heart of every SUVAT problem.
10 Facts About the SUVAT Equations
SUVAT names the five quantities: s, u, v, a, t.
The equations only hold for constant acceleration.
Each of the five equations omits one of the variables.
Near Earth, free-fall acceleration is g ≈ 9.81 m/s².
s, u, v and a are vectors — direction (sign) matters.
A deceleration is just a negative acceleration.
v = u + at comes straight from a = (v − u)/t.
On a velocity-time graph, area = displacement.
Galileo showed all masses fall with the same g.
This calculator runs in your browser — your working stays private.
Frequently Asked Questions
- They are v = u + at, s = ½(u + v)t, s = ut + ½at², v² = u² + 2as and s = vt − ½at². Each relates four of the five quantities — displacement s, initial velocity u, final velocity v, acceleration a and time t — and omits the fifth, so you can always pick the one that uses only the values you have.
- Exactly three. Constant-acceleration motion has five quantities linked by these equations, and knowing any three determines the other two. Enter the three you know and leave the unknowns blank; the calculator finds the rest.
- Only when the acceleration is constant (uniform) along a straight line. They work perfectly for free fall near the Earth's surface, a car braking steadily, or a trolley on a ramp, but not when the acceleration changes — for that you need calculus or a graph.
- SI units: metres (m) for displacement, metres per second (m/s) for velocity, metres per second squared (m/s²) for acceleration, and seconds (s) for time. You may enter other units (km/h, mph, ft, ft/s², minutes); the tool converts to SI and shows a dimmed US/imperial readout below.
- Choose one direction as positive and keep every value consistent with it. For a ball thrown upward, taking up as positive makes the initial velocity positive and gravity negative (a = −9.81 m/s²). A deceleration is simply a negative acceleration.
- The equation v² = u² + 2as has two roots, positive and negative. This calculator returns the positive root, which is correct for most one-direction problems. If your object reverses direction, split the motion into stages and solve each separately.
- g is the acceleration due to gravity near the Earth's surface, about 9.81 m/s². For a falling object you set a = 9.81 m/s² (downward); some syllabuses round it to 9.8 or 10. Use the value your exam board prescribes.
- The Tool Information block lists the exact syllabus — Cambridge IGCSE/A-Level Physics 9702 and the IB Diploma. It is a study aid for checking your working, not a substitute for your official syllabus or teacher.
- For a projectile, treat the vertical and horizontal directions separately — the vertical motion uses a = −g while the horizontal motion has a = 0. For a journey with more than one phase of acceleration (for example speeding up then braking), solve each phase as its own SUVAT problem and carry the final velocity of one stage into the next.
- Completely free, with no account or usage limit. It runs entirely in your browser, collects no data, and works offline once the page has loaded.
Related News
You may be interested in these recent stories from our newsroom.
No related news yet for this tool. Our editorial team publishes new pieces every week.
Browse all news →75 more free tools
Calculators, converters, security tools — no signup.