Find acceleration of an electron

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around calculating the acceleration of electrons in an X-ray tube given their final speed and the distance over which they are accelerated. The key equation used is v final squared equals v initial squared plus 2a times the distance. Participants highlight that the initial velocity is not explicitly provided, creating confusion since it is commonly assumed to be zero in similar problems. Clarification is sought on whether the problem statement included any additional context that might indicate the initial velocity. The consensus is that without knowing the initial velocity, the acceleration cannot be accurately determined.
warnexus
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Homework Statement


An X-ray tube gives electrons constant acceleration over a distance of 20cm . If their final speed is 2.0×107m/s , what are the electrons' acceleration?


Homework Equations


v final ^ 2 = v initial ^ 2 + 2a(x-x initial)


The Attempt at a Solution


x = .2 m (after conversion from cm)
v final is given.

how do I find v initial? I need that so I can find acceleration.
 
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apparently the initial velocity is not zero. I heard 99/100 time it is zero from the internet
 
What did you get as your answer with 0 as the initial velocity?
 
warnexus said:
how do I find v initial? I need that so I can find acceleration.
You are correct, without knowing v-initial this problem cannot be solved. The problem author problem meant for v-initial to be zero, but that should have been stated or somehow implied in the problem statement. Did you copy the problem exactly as it was given? Or was there an accompanying figure that somehow gave information about the initial velocity?
 

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