Calculating Average Acceleration and Force of Dragster and Driver

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the average acceleration and the force acting on a dragster and its driver, given their combined mass and the dragster's change in speed over a specific time interval. The subject area includes concepts from kinematics and Newton's laws of motion.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the calculation of average acceleration using the formula for acceleration and discuss the application of Newton's second law to find the net force. There are questions about the correct mass to use when calculating the force on the driver versus the dragster.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants attempting calculations and clarifying the distinctions between the forces acting on the driver and the dragster. Some guidance has been offered regarding the correct mass to use for the force calculations, but there is no explicit consensus on the final approach.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working with a specific set of values and constraints, including the combined mass of the dragster and driver, the speed attained, and the time interval. There is some confusion regarding the application of forces and the masses involved in the calculations.

rr92890
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A dragster and a driver together have mas 930.1 kg. the dragster, starting from rest, attains a speed of 25.8 m/s in .56 s. Find the average accel. of the dragster during ths time interval. What is the size of the average force on the dragster during this time interval? Answer in units of N.
The driver has a mass of 74.9 kg. What horizontal force does the seat exert on the driver.

I'm not even sure where to start.
 
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Do you know what acceleration is? Do you know a formula for it? Do you know Newton's 2nd law?
 
would it be 25.8m/s / .56s (46.07142857) for the acceleration. and I now that the second law is Fnet=Ma...OO, so it is 46.07142857*930.1=42851.03571 N?
 
not *930.1 , *74.9.
Because you're talking about the force exerting on the driver,not both of them.
 
Von said:
not *930.1 , *74.9.
Because you're talking about the force exerting on the driver,not both of them.

Erm...

rr92890 said:
A dragster and a driver together have mas 930.1 kg. the dragster, starting from rest, attains a speed of 25.8 m/s in .56 s. Find the average accel. of the dragster during ths time interval. What is the size of the average force on the dragster during this time interval? Answer in units of N.
The driver has a mass of 74.9 kg. What horizontal force does the seat exert on the driver.
 
Hootenanny said:
Erm...

?

(I wanted to post just the '?', but evidently it found the post too short and didn't accept! But Hootenanny's post is considered to be a complete thesis?
 
Von said:
not *930.1 , *74.9.
Because you're talking about the force exerting on the driver,not both of them.

He also has to find the force on just the dragster. So, *(930.1 - 74.9).

Do you understand the Erm... now?
 
Last edited:
Didn't see that! o(∩_∩)o...
 

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