Average acceleration and average force

In summary, a steel ball with a mass of 17 grams and initial velocity of 6 m/s is launched into someone's eye and comes to rest over a distance of 1mm. Using the equation Vf^2 - Vi^2 = 2a*d, the average acceleration experienced by the ball is -1800 m/s^2. This requires a huge force, potentially exerted by the eyeball, to stop the ball in such a short distance.
  • #1
tooperoo
36
0

Homework Statement


Steel ball with a mass 17 grams, is launched at a speed of 6 m/s, into someones eye. The ball comes to a rest over a distance of 1mm.

A) What is the average acceleration experienced by the ball to stop it?

B) What is the deaccelerating force that must be exerted on the ball (by the eyeball), and thus, what is the average force on the eyeball?


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



I tried using the Vf^2 - Vi^2 = 2a*d (where d is displacement, vf is final veloctiy, vi is initial velocity and a is acceleration) but came out with -18m/s^2 for the acceleration. I don't think that is right however



Any help is greatly appreciated
 
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  • #2
Check your arithmetic.
 
  • #3
I stuffed up the arithmetic.
Answer should be -1800. Is that right? Seems big for acceleration.
 
  • #4
Check the numbers, I get an even bigger acceleration. Anyway yes, it is big for an acceleration, but also from 6 m/s (21.6 Km/h) to rest in only 1 mm is really a lot... to stop something that fast in such short distance will require (of course depending on mass) a huge force, at least for usual objects (therefore not too light).
 
  • #5
tooperoo said:
I stuffed up the arithmetic.
Answer should be -1800. Is that right? Seems big for acceleration.
You're still off by a factor of 10, so recheck that math. Yes, it's big. But 1 mm is a small distance to come to rest in.
 

1. What is average acceleration?

Average acceleration is a measure of how quickly the velocity of an object changes over a certain period of time. It is calculated by dividing the change in velocity by the change in time.

2. How is average acceleration different from instantaneous acceleration?

Average acceleration is calculated over a period of time, while instantaneous acceleration is the acceleration at a specific moment in time. Average acceleration takes into account the overall change in velocity, while instantaneous acceleration only considers the velocity at a single point.

3. What are the units of average acceleration?

The units of average acceleration are typically meters per second squared (m/s^2) in the metric system, or feet per second squared (ft/s^2) in the imperial system.

4. What is the relationship between average acceleration and average force?

Average acceleration and average force are directly proportional. This means that as the average force acting on an object increases, the average acceleration also increases. This relationship is described by Newton's second law of motion, which states that force is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration.

5. How can average acceleration and average force be used in real-world situations?

Average acceleration and average force are important concepts in physics and are used to understand and predict the motion of objects. They are especially useful in fields such as engineering, sports, and transportation, where the movement and forces acting on objects need to be carefully considered and controlled.

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