What term describes the amount of change in an object's speed per unit time?

The correct term that describes the amount of change in an object's speed per unit time is acceleration. This concept is fundamental in physics and refers to how quickly an object's velocity changes over time. If an object is speeding up, slowing down, or changing direction, it is experiencing acceleration.

Acceleration is quantified as the change in velocity divided by the time it takes for that change to occur. For example, if a forklift truck increases its speed from 0 to 10 meters per second in 5 seconds, the acceleration is calculated by taking the change in velocity (10 m/s - 0 m/s) divided by the time taken (5 seconds), which results in an acceleration of 2 meters per second squared.

Understanding acceleration is crucial in forklift operation, as operators must be aware of how their movements can affect load stability and operational safety. Other terms like momentum, velocity, and speed have different definitions and are not directly related to the concept of change per unit time as acceleration is. Momentum refers to the quantity of motion of a moving body, velocity is the speed of something in a given direction, and speed is a scalar value that describes how fast an object is moving without considering its direction.