Decelerating distance and magnitude of impulse of a car

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a 1,000 kg car decelerating from a velocity of +20.0 meters per second at a rate of -5.00 meters per second squared until it comes to rest. Participants are discussing how to calculate the total distance traveled during deceleration and the magnitude of the impulse applied to the car.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are exploring the relationship between velocity, acceleration, and displacement. There are questions about which equations to use and how to incorporate acceleration into the calculations. Some participants suggest showing calculations step by step to identify mistakes.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing guidance on relating acceleration to distance and questioning the assumptions made in the calculations. There is a recognition that the initial approach may not yield the correct distance, prompting further exploration of the concepts involved.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of writing down equations before substituting values and emphasize the need to consider the direction of acceleration and velocity in the calculations. There is also mention of the potential complexity of the problem, suggesting that assumptions may need to be revisited.

Juls808
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A 1,000kg car traveling with a velocity of +20.0meters per second decelerates uniformly at -5.00 meters per second per second until it comes to rest.

What is the total distance the car travels as it decelerates to rest?

What is the magnitude of the impulse applied to the car to bring it to rest?
 
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What exactly do you require help with? I mean, where in your working did you get stuck?
 
I don't know which equations to use.
 
You have a velocity and an acceleration. How do those relate to displacement? (or distance in this case)
 
So it would be velocity=distance/time and it would be that simple because its uniform? And impulse=force*time?

It can't be that simple because that gives me a distance of 100 meters.
 
You have to take the (de-)acceleration into account. So you're going to need to relate your acceleration to distance, with having an initial velocity in the opposite direction. (so you could take your acceleration as negative, and your velocity as positive)
 
Why don't you show us your calculations step by step? That way we can pinpoint any mistakes. Just telling us you found a distance of 100 meters (which is not correct) with no explanation whatsoever about how you got to that number is not very enlightening. And please write the equations down before plugging in any values so we know what equation you're using. (By the way, do that on your homework and tests as well. Your professor will greatly appreciate).
 
You're losing me. Impulse is a change in momentum, and is also ##\int \vec{F}dt## but I have no idea why you're using that. What in this problem says, "use momentum" to you? (Other than the mass that's given, keep in mind physics profs are tricky ;-] )

Ok so you figured out that ##|v| = \frac{\Delta x}{\Delta t}## which works for this, but really what you want is ##\vec{v} = \frac{d\vec{x}}{dt}## and you have another quantity in there, acceleration ##\vec{a}##

Now how does acceleration relate to what we have?
 

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