Equivalence between 2 solutions

  • Thread starter Thread starter CAF123
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Equivalence
Click For Summary

Homework Help Overview

The problem involves the motion of a particle projected vertically under the influence of gravity and linear drag. Participants are tasked with demonstrating the equivalence between two expressions for the velocity of the particle over time.

Discussion Character

  • Mixed

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore different methods to show the equivalence of the velocity expressions, including using the relationship between acceleration and velocity.
  • Some participants question the dimensional consistency of equations presented in the working, leading to discussions about potential errors in differentiation and algebra.
  • There is an emphasis on the need to post all working steps to clarify reasoning and identify errors.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants actively seeking clarification on their approaches and corrections to their working. Some guidance has been offered regarding the need to rearrange equations and simplify terms, but no consensus has been reached on the correct path to equivalence.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working under the constraints of homework rules, which may limit the amount of direct assistance they can provide to one another. There are indications of missing information and potential misunderstandings regarding the setup of the equations.

CAF123
Gold Member
Messages
2,918
Reaction score
87

Homework Statement


A particle of mass ##m## is projected from ##x(0) = x_o## in the vertical direction, with an initial velocity, ##\dot{x}(0) = v_o##. It is subject to gravity and linear drag, mk|v|, against the motion.

1) Show that the body follows ##v(t)## such that:$$v(t) = -g/k + (v_o + g/k)e^{-kt}$$
2) Use ##\ddot{x} = v dv/dx ## to find a soln to the motion subject to the initial condition. Show the equivalence between the result attained and the one shown in 1).

Homework Equations


Separable Diff Eqns, Newton 2nd

The Attempt at a Solution



1) is fine. I don't really know how to show the equivalence, but I have tried two different ways, where one way I get nothing near equivalence and the other I recover the exp term above, but not the -g/k in front.

Method 1). After solving ##\ddot{x} = v dv/dx, ##I get ##x = x(v)##. Then by the chain rule, ##dx/dt = dx/dv\,dv/dt##. So I differentiated my soln in 2) wrt v and then multiplied this by the derivative of v wrt t in 1). This gives me nothing near equivalence, although I am not sure why.

Method 2). Put v = v(t) in 1) into my x(v). This gives x(t). Then simply differentiate wrt t. I get the second term in 1) (exp term) but not the -g/k.

Both methods seem valid, (are they?) but I don't get the result. I could recheck my algebra again, but both methods yield a (g +kv)^3 and that is not present in 1) and it doesn't cancel.

Many thanks.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
You need to post all your working.
 
haruspex said:
You need to post all your working.

Sure, I have attached my working.

EDIT: The images turned out quite faint - i'll re upload with the working in pen.
 

Attachments

  • Method 1.jpg
    Method 1.jpg
    6.7 KB · Views: 391
  • Method 1) part2.jpg
    Method 1) part2.jpg
    4.7 KB · Views: 346
  • Method 2.jpg
    Method 2.jpg
    5.5 KB · Views: 346
Last edited:
Working in pen:
 

Attachments

  • 001.jpg
    001.jpg
    11.5 KB · Views: 388
  • 002.jpg
    002.jpg
    13.4 KB · Views: 383
I don't see where the second equation on page 2 comes from. It's dimensionally wrong. k has dimension 1/T, LHS = dx/dv has dimension T, on RHS v/k2 has dimension LT and g/(k(g+kv)) has dimension T.
 
haruspex said:
I don't see where the second equation on page 2 comes from. It's dimensionally wrong. k has dimension 1/T, LHS = dx/dv has dimension T, on RHS v/k2 has dimension LT and g/(k(g+kv)) has dimension T.

I see. But what did I do wrong? All I did was differentiate wrt v, and so the terms not containing v just vanished.
EDIT: I made an error there - i see. Thanks for pointing this out. I'll recheck things.
 
Fixing my error above only removes the v/k term that I had in front of the exp term so I recover the ##(v_o + v_T)exp.. ##term but not the other one..
 
CAF123 said:
Fixing my error above only removes the v/k term that I had in front of the exp term so I recover the ##(v_o + v_T)exp.. ##term but not the other one..

That's not what I get. Pls post the corrected steps.
 
So taking the derivative of the first line:
dx/dv = -1/k + g/(k(g+kv))

Multiply this with dv/dt obtained from A) (shown in the image) gives me the term (v_o -v_T)exp but not the '+v_T' term.

Many thanks.
 
  • #10
CAF123 said:
So taking the derivative of the first line:
dx/dv = -1/k + g/(k(g+kv))

Multiply this with dv/dt obtained from A) (shown in the image) gives me the term (v_o -v_T)exp but not the '+v_T' term.

Many thanks.

The procedure you describe works for me, so you will need to post ALL your working.
 
  • #11
Ok, I will post all my working momentarily. But how would you get that +v_T? In the dx/dv, I have a g/k(g+kv) term , so how when multiplied by dx/dt will I get anything near a simple +v_T?

EDIT: Working attached

And that second line should read ##-\frac{1}{k} + \frac{g}{k(g+kv)}, ## not ##-\frac{1}{k} + \frac{g}{g(g+kv)}, ##
 

Attachments

  • PEN.jpg
    PEN.jpg
    16.2 KB · Views: 402
Last edited:
  • #12
You're missing that you have v on both sides of the equation (as dx/dt on the left). You need to rearrange it so that v is only on the left. Btw, the expression for dx/dv can be simplified a lot.
 
  • #13
I see, thanks. But what about method 2) (also contained in same link). I don't think I made the same mistake there. Thanks
 
  • #14
In the very first line after "METHOD2" you have the wrong sign on the g/k term at the end of the line. It must be vT, so that it tends to vT as t tends to infinity, and vT = -g/k. If you fix that there'll be some cancellation.
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
1K
  • · Replies 27 ·
Replies
27
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
6
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
Replies
15
Views
2K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
9K