Newtons second law and stopping on a dime

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around an automobile's ability to "stop on a dime," specifically exploring the net force required to halt a vehicle of mass (m) traveling at an initial speed (v) over a distance equal to the diameter of a dime (d).

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the application of Newton's second law and kinematic equations to determine the necessary acceleration and force. There are questions regarding the correctness of calculations and interpretations of the results.

Discussion Status

The conversation includes attempts to derive the acceleration using kinematic equations, with some participants expressing uncertainty about the correctness of their calculations. Clarifications are sought regarding the magnitude of the force required, and one participant ultimately confirms their initial calculation was correct after a typographical error was identified.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of a homework problem, which may involve specific assumptions about the stopping distance and the nature of the force applied.

ledhead86
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An advertisement claims that a particular automobile can "stop on a dime." What net force would actually be necessary to stop an automobile of mass (m) traveling initially at a speed of (v) in a distance equal to the diameter of a dime, which is (d) ?
 
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Σ F = -f = m*a

I used the formula v2 = v_02 + 2a(x-x_0) to find the acceleration

so a = (v2 – v_02) / 2(x-x_0) = ((0)2 – (v)2) / 2( d – 0)

then my final answer would be ((0)2 – (v)2) / 2( d – 0) * mass
 
but apparently this is incorrect. What am I doing wrong?
 
Looks OK to me. (Simplify the final expression, of course.)
 
ledhead86 said:
but apparently this is incorrect. What am I doing wrong?
What makes you think this is incorrect? Also: Just find the magnitude of the force.
 
nevermind, it was correct. I incorrectly typed it in the program
 

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