Conversion of data when working out ave velocity

[theguy123]

Homework Statement

Basically we were given some data and are expected to work out one value for eg:
u = 20ms/1, t=?, a=2.0ms/2, v=0.

But I'm having trouble when the known data is something like...

u= 2.0x10^-5 ms/1
I have no idea whether i should be working u out before i use it...
like if i were to solve u before i apply it to the equation

Homework Equations

u = 1.7x10^-4 ms/1
t = 3.0x10^-3 s
a = ?
v = 5.1x10^-4

The Attempt at a Solution

u= 0.00017
t = 0.003 s
a = ?
v = 0.00051

0.00017 + a*0.003 = 0.00051

:: a= 0.11333333333333334

I'm confused.. :(

 

[Mindscrape]

Sorry, I have no idea what you are asking about. Unfortunately physics can vary with notation, and it's not obvious to me what your notation indicates.

What is the end goal here, to find acceleration given a change in velocity over time?

 

[theguy123]

Sorry, I have no idea what you are asking about. Unfortunately physics can vary with notation, and it's not obvious to me what your notation indicates.

What is the end goal here, to find acceleration given a change in velocity over time?

Whether i have to convert before i solve and what is the equation for working out
acceleration if you were originally using v=u+at

 

[Mindscrape]

u is in units of m*s? what did you measure?

 

[rwisz]

Thank you for the question. When working with scientific data, it is important to pay attention to the units and make sure they are consistent throughout the problem. In this case, the given data for u is in the unit of meters per second, but it is written in scientific notation. To convert this to a regular number, you can simply move the decimal point to the right by the exponent given. So in this case, 2.0x10^-5 ms/1 would become 0.00002 ms/1. Similarly, for u = 1.7x10^-4 ms/1, it would become 0.00017 ms/1.

Now, when solving for a, you can use the same approach as you did in your attempt at a solution. However, make sure to use the correct value for u in the equation. So it would be 0.00017 + a*0.003 = 0.00051. Solving for a, you would get a = 0.11333333333333334 ms/2 or 0.05666666666666667 ms/1.

In summary, when working with scientific data, make sure to pay attention to the units and convert them accordingly. This will ensure that your calculations are accurate. Good luck with your homework!