Is the partial derivative for acceleration correctly solved?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the calculation of uncertainty in acceleration and gravity using partial derivatives, as applied in a physics lab context. The original poster seeks verification of equations related to these calculations and expresses uncertainty about the correct application of partial derivatives for the uncertainty in gravity.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to verify the correctness of equations for calculating uncertainty in acceleration and gravity. Participants inquire about the methods used in the lab, the nature of measurements taken, and the relationship between acceleration and gravity. Questions about time interval uncertainties and the differentiation process are also raised.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing insights and asking clarifying questions. Some guidance has been offered regarding the equations and their derivations, but there is no explicit consensus on the correctness of the original poster's equations or methods.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the original poster's equations derive from specific equations in the lab write-up, and there is mention of potential errors in the derivatives. The original poster has referenced external documents for further context.

niteshadw
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can anyone verify that the equations on the following page, http://nsr.f2o.org/equations.htm are corretly solved. The equations are used to find the uncertainity in the calculation of acceleration in my physics lab. The uncertinty (delta a) would be the sum of all of the four equations, which appear correct.

However, the last equation, solves for the uncertainty in g (delta g) which is gravity...I'm not sure how should I solve it using partial derivatives, on the bottom it has what h_21 and x_12 should be...any help would be much appreciated..thank you!
 
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What did you do in your lab to measure g? It sort of looks like you made two position measurements and two velocity measurements, with some uncertainty. There must be some time interval involved. Is there a time interval uncertainty? How is "a" different from "g"? Is not your calculated "a" an estimate of "g"?
 
People see the pdf of the lab, the equation is on last page (pg 10) Thank you! http://nsr.f2o.org/exp2.pdf
 
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niteshadw said:
People see the pdf of the lab, the equation is on last page (pg 10) Thank you! http://nsr.f2o.org/exp2.pdf

The first four dequations in your original note attachement come from taking partial derivatives of equation 2-7 in the write-up. The first two are wrong. What is

[tex]\frac{d}{dx}x^2[/tex]

You have not done the derivatives for your Equation 5. They come from equation 2-5 in the write-up
 
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