Find Minimum Acceleration from Graph

[dumakey1212]

So this looks really easy, but I can't get the right answer. It asks you to find the minimum acceleration from the graph: http://s22.postimg.org/f5dutd5ap/pic.png. This is of course the point where the slope is the smallest, and this is from t = 3-4 s or t = 4-5 s, depending on whether you want to find the positive/negative acceleration. Either way it's about (57 m/s - 55 m/s)/1 s, 2 m/s². It doesn't accept this answer or 1, 3, 4, 5 or the negatives of those. I'm not sure what's going on, this is pretty basic. There's no way the lowest acceleration is greater than 5, and it is most obviously based on the graph about 2 or 3.

 

[jedishrfu]

Did you try 0? That's the slope at 4 secs.

 

[dumakey1212]

Yup! You're right, how foolish of me :D

 

[jedishrfu]

I don't think it was foolish, after all they did say minimum acceleration which you interpreted as more negative it is the smaller it is (in a purely mathematical sense) vs the minimum magnitude of the acceleration (always a non-negative number).

Understanding where you went wrong will help you in many other problems ala "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me".

 

[PJC01]

As a scientist, it is important to approach problems like this with a systematic and analytical mindset. It is clear that the minimum acceleration can be found at the points where the slope of the graph is the smallest. However, it is also important to consider the units and scale of the graph in order to accurately determine the minimum acceleration.

Upon examining the given graph, it appears that the units on the y-axis are in meters per second (m/s), while the units on the x-axis are in seconds (s). This means that the slope of the graph is actually in units of m/s per second, or m/s^2, which is the unit for acceleration.

Using this information, we can determine that the minimum acceleration can be found at the points where the slope is the smallest, which is at t = 3-4 s and t = 4-5 s. At these points, the slope is approximately 2 m/s^2, which is the correct answer.

It is important to also consider the scale of the graph. In this case, the scale on the y-axis is quite small, with each interval representing only 1 m/s. This may have caused some confusion in trying to determine the correct answer.

In conclusion, it is important to carefully analyze the units and scale of a graph in order to accurately determine the minimum acceleration. It is also important to double-check the calculations and make sure the units are consistent. In this case, the minimum acceleration is approximately 2 m/s^2, which is consistent with the graph and the given information.