Average speed that you observe for the button as it falls

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the average speed of a button dropped from a height of 1.2 meters while a conveyor belt moves at 0.60 m/s. The initial calculations incorrectly assume no vertical acceleration, leading to an average speed of 0.60 m/s. However, the correct approach involves considering the vertical motion due to gravity, which results in a final average speed of approximately 2.5 m/s. The confusion arises from not accounting for the vertical component of motion, indicating that this is a two-dimensional problem rather than one-dimensional. Understanding the combined effects of horizontal and vertical speeds is crucial for accurate calculations.
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You are at an airport watching people go by on a "people mover" conveyer belt that moves at a constant speed of 0.60m/s. As a person goes by, they drop a button from a height of 1.2m. What is the average speed that you observe for the button as it falls to the ground?

well i have:
x=1.2m
v=0.60 m/s
a = 0

so i'll use this formula:

V^2=v(0)^2 +2a(x-x(0))

well a is 0 so the right side cancels to zero.

and v(0) = 0.60

so that means the answer is 0.60m/s, but it's incorrectly. the answer should be 2.5m/s. can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong?
 
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Where's the movement in the y direction?
 
that's the whole question. what do you mean by in the y direction? isn't this just a 1-D problem?
 
v_{avg} = \frac {\int _0 ^T [v_x^2(t) + v_y^2(t)]^{1/2}dt }{T}
 
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