The maximum rate refers to the highest possible value of a quantity being measured. In this context, it represents the greatest rate at which the particle slows down.
Related terms
Rate of change: Rate of change refers to how quickly a quantity changes with respect to the change in another variable. It can be positive, negative, or zero.
A derivative measures the rate at which a function changes as its input (in this case, time) changes. It represents the slope of a curve at any given point.
Extremum: An extremum is either a maximum or minimum value of a function. In this case, we are interested in the maximum rate of slowing down.