Recent content by tristanslater

Oops, you're right, I overlooked the difference in radius. The escape velocity is at ##R##, and the orbital velocity is at ##R+h##, and we know ##h##, so that maintains the number of unknowns. I'm not sure we can use those two equations as a system though, because they are the same relationship...

I would love to use the velocity, but I can't seem to find a way to incorporate both velocities. I could use ##T = \frac{2\pi R}{v}##, but I'm still stuck with ##R##. I've tried working around other equations, but it always seems that without either the radius of the planet or the mass of the...

Homework Statement A satellite is in circular orbit at an altitude of 800 km above the surface of a nonrotating planet with an orbital speed of 3.7 km/s. The minimum speed needed to escape from the surface of the planet is 9.8 km/s, and G = 6.67 × 10-11 N · m2/kg2. The orbital period of the...

I didn't realize we could use latex in these forums. That helps a lot! I think we're actually writing the same thing, just slightly differently. When I wrote: ##W = 2k = \frac{1}{2}mv_i^2 + mgh_i##, I was just shortcutting. Spring potential energy: ##\frac{1}{2}k\Delta y^2##, when ##\Delta y =...

K_f + U_f = K_i + U_i Oh! You're right! I was thinking no motion = equilibrium, but you're right. I'm thinking the equation should be PE_f + KE_f = PE_i + KE_i - W_ext. I think this makes sense, because if there was no external forces, they would be equal, U lost would become K as the elevator...

Homework Statement In a "worst-case" design scenario, a 2000-kg elevator with broken cables is falling at 4.00 m/s when it first contacts a cushioning spring at the bottom of the shaft. The spring is supposed to stop the elevator, compressing 2.00 m as it does so. During the motion a safety...

Nevermind. Found it.

Thanks again! How do I mark this answered?

I am familiar, I just didn't think of doing it that way. Maybe I'll try that for practice.

Actually, on second thought, that might not be the case. I was thinking they were accelerated for the same amount of time, but it says over a fixed distance. So, starting with a = F_E / m (F_E is not dependent on mass, so should be the same for each), the acceleration of the light particle, a =...

Thanks for your input. However, I already figured out that the velocity of the light would be twice the heavier. Unfortunately, this only makes my original problem worse. I actually think the key is that the wording is very ambiguous. It doesn't really describe the situation well. What...

After thinking this through, I'm pretty sure that if that was the case, the velocity of the heavy object would be half of the light object, which would then result in the radii being the same! Still doesn't make sense.

Thank you! It doesn't say. I just copied and pasted the question exactly. What you see is what was provided. I had thought that perhaps that was the issue, the electric field, if it was used to accelerate the two particles the lighter one would have been accelerated by more. Perhaps I need to...

Homework Statement Ions having equal charges but masses of M and 2M experience a constant electric field while they travel a fixed distance d and then enter a uniform magnetic field perpendicular to their path. If the heavier ions follow a circular arc of radius R, what is the radius of the arc...