What type of quantity is acceleration classified as?

Acceleration is classified as a vector quantity because it has both magnitude and direction. In physics, a vector is defined as a quantity that has both size (how much) and direction (where to). For instance, if an object is accelerating at a rate of 5 meters per second squared to the north, this statement includes both how fast the acceleration is (5 m/s²) and the direction (north).

In contrast, scalar quantities only have magnitude and no direction. Examples of scalars include speed (which is the magnitude of velocity without direction) and temperature. Since acceleration involves a change in velocity, which is itself a vector quantity, it retains the characteristic of having direction, thereby categorizing it firmly as a vector.

The possibility of it being both a vector and scalar or neither does not apply as acceleration does not exhibit scalar properties nor fits into the context of being a non-quantifiable entity. Hence, it firmly belongs in the category of vector quantities.