Calculate Acceleration, Velocity and Force of a Piston

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on calculating the acceleration, velocity, and net force of a piston with a mass of 0.25 kg and a stroke of 9 cm at 4500 revolutions per minute. The equations used include amax = -w²A for acceleration, vmax = wA for velocity, and Fnetmax = m * amax for net force. The user notes a discrepancy between their calculations and the book's answers, suspecting that the book used an amplitude of 4.5 cm instead of the correct 9 cm. They clarify that the amplitude should represent half the total stroke distance, emphasizing the piston’s motion resembles that of a water wave. This understanding resolves the confusion regarding the amplitude and its impact on the calculations.
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Homework Statement


Piston mass: 0.25kg
Stroke (distance between extreme positions): 9cm
4500rev min-1

(a)Calculate acceleration of piston at maximum displacement
(b)Calculate velocity as piston moves past its equilibrium point
(c)What is the net force exerted on the piston at maximum displacement

Homework Equations


amax=-w2A
vmax=wA
Fnetmax=mamax

The Attempt at a Solution


(a)amax=-(2\pi4500/60)29\times10-2
(b)similar to (a) using equation
(c)m times answer to (a)

The problem is that the book answer is consistently half my answers. I think this is because they used 4.5cm as their amplitude instead of 9cm. One stroke is 9cm and in one revolution, the piston needs to travel twice that distance, right? So shouldn't amplitude be 9cm?
 
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The amplitude is half the difference between the high and low.
In a water wave, the water goes up one amplitude, back down to the equilibrium, down one amplitude, then back up to equilibrium.

The piston does the same thing.
 
Thanks, that example makes it clear
 
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