# Air resistance

1. Sep 8, 2010

### lionsgirl12

1. Wile E Coyote, armed with ACMETM-brand rocket-propelled rollerblades, is at it again trying to catch his nemesis Road Runner. Suppose the ground velocities, in hundred miles per hour, of the twosome are described by the equations below:
Wile E Coyote: v'=200-8v2

(a) Without solving the 2 equations, determine whether Wile E could (finally) catch Road Runner. What is his maximum velocity (i.e. his limiting velocity)?
(b) Solve Wile E's equation to find his velocity as a function of time. You may leave your answer in implicit form.

2. Relevant equations

3.
(a)vL = $$\sqrt{200/8}$$
vL = 5 mi/hr

(b) i know for this question you have to apply impartial fractions to find the solution but i need help setting it up

2. Sep 9, 2010

### gabbagabbahey

Careful, $v$ is measured in hundreds of miles/hour

Well, what kind of differential equation is $\frac{dv}{dt}=200-8v^2$? (is it ordinary? what is its order? Is it separable?) What method(s) have you been taught to solve that type of DE?