Acceleration question (should be easy?)

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a person accelerating uniformly from an initial speed to a final speed over a specified time period, with a focus on determining the magnitude of acceleration. The subject area is kinematics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster attempts to apply kinematic equations to find acceleration but expresses uncertainty about their calculation. Some participants question the correctness of the original poster's solution and suggest verifying the problem statement for potential discrepancies.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the problem. Some have offered guidance to check the problem statement for accuracy, while others have raised doubts about the provided answer from the book.

Contextual Notes

There is mention of a possible error in the time duration given in the problem, which may affect the calculation of acceleration.

David Donald
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Homework Statement


A person runs in front of you. The person accelerates uniformly from 4.0 m/s to 8.0 m/s in a time of 4.0 s.
What is the magnitude of the acceleration of the person during the 4.0 s?

Homework Equations


Kinematics

The Attempt at a Solution


Vfx = Vox + at
(Vfx - Vox)/t = a

so (8m/s - 4m/s)/(4s) = a = 1.0 m/s^2

this is wrong though, so what am i failing to understand here?
 
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It looks right to me. Does the book give a reason for its answer? Perhaps the book's answer is wrong - they sometimes are.
 
apparently it should be 0.8 m/s^2 ?
 
Check the problem statement. Perhaps the time was 5s, not 4.
 

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