Well, unless you see the GDP as your location, the growth in GDP as speed, and the change in growth in GDP as acceleration. That would even make sense, just li

Well, unless you see the GDP as your location, the growth in GDP as speed, and the change in growth in GDP as acceleration. That would even make sense, just like installed power generation capacity could be seen as megawatt (a rate measure) but really it's not a rate measure when you're looking at the prosperity of a state. Flat installed power capacity is a stagnant economy. Likewise, flat GDP would be a stagnant economy. Hence "slowdown" is correct since that is analogous to second derivative negative. That's why we have the word "recession" or the phrase "shrinking economy" to talk about negative first derivative.