Acceleration changing over time

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the distance and velocity of a particle in a dynamic system where acceleration is not constant and changes over time. Participants explore the mathematical approaches necessary to derive these quantities, including integration and the implications of a time-varying acceleration function.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in calculating the distance and velocity of a particle when acceleration varies over time, indicating a need for a method that accounts for changing acceleration.
  • Another participant suggests that calculus is necessary for a general solution, providing the equations for velocity and displacement as integrals of acceleration and initial conditions.
  • A third participant specifies the context of the problem, describing the object as a levitating beam and presenting a specific form of acceleration as a function of time and distance.
  • A later reply reiterates the need for calculus and offers an alternative method for integrating the acceleration function by parts, presenting a specific integral formulation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that calculus is required to solve the problem, but there is no consensus on the specific approach or the form of the acceleration function.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights the dependency on the specific form of the acceleration function and the potential complexity involved in integrating it. There are unresolved aspects regarding the initial conditions and how they influence the calculations.

nicklasaau
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Hey, i am having trouble doing the calculation on a dynamic system.

My acceleration is not constant during, and because of that my speed of the particle is changing from the original, and i want to know how long my particle has moved in a short periode of time Δt and what the velocity is. with the math i have learned so far, i end up with only taking into account the end velocity or the beginning velocity, instead of calculating it is changing


Know is
Beginning condition: (distance, speed)
Travel: (acceleration at a specific time, that changes)
I want to know end distance and end velocity.

At the end i need to rewrite it to a transfer function, so i have to do linearization if that can help in the calculation :)
 
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A general solution will require calculus, but it's possible you won't need this.

velocity: v(t) = ∫a(t)dt + v0
displacement: x(t) = ∫(v(t))dt + x0 = ∫(∫a(t)dt + v0)dt + x0

v0, x0 are the velocity and displacement at t=0 (initial conditions).

You will need to integrate the acceleration a(t) twice to get a distance, and the method of solution will depend on the form of a(t). Do you know anything about the form of a(t)?
 
The object is a levitating beam, and because of that the acceleration is a function of time and distance



a(t,x) = (μ * N^2 * Ag)/4 * [I*sin(ωt + ρ)]^2 / x^2, or something like that
 
MikeyW said:
A general solution will require calculus, but it's possible you won't need this.

velocity: v(t) = ∫a(t)dt + v0
displacement: x(t) = ∫(v(t))dt + x0 = ∫(∫a(t)dt + v0)dt + x0

v0, x0 are the velocity and displacement at t=0 (initial conditions).

You will need to integrate the acceleration a(t) twice to get a distance, and the method of solution will depend on the form of a(t). Do you know anything about the form of a(t)?

That double integral involving a(t) can be reexpressed as a single integral by integrating by parts to obtain:

[tex]\int_0^t(t-\lambda)a(\lambda) d\lambda[/tex]

where λ is a dummy variable of integration.
 

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