Finding Normal and Tangential Acceleration Components in 2D Motion

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the normal and tangential acceleration components of a particle in 2D motion, given the acceleration vector \( \mathbf{a} = x\mathbf{i} + y\mathbf{j} \) and the velocity vector \( \mathbf{v} = u\mathbf{i} + z\mathbf{j} \). To find the tangential acceleration, participants suggest using the dot product of the acceleration and velocity vectors. For the normal component, it is recommended to derive a unit vector in the direction of the velocity vector, which can then be utilized to determine the normal acceleration.

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  • Understanding of vector operations, specifically dot products
  • Familiarity with acceleration and velocity vectors in physics
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  • Basic principles of 2D motion analysis
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Homework Statement


ive reduced a problem down to one last part, and where i need the normal and tangential acceleration components of a moving particle. we are given the following: $$a=xi+yj$$ and $$v=ui+zj$$ where a and v are acceleration and velocity and the x,y,u,z are the components.

note we are only in 2 dimensions

i can't think of any way to proceed. thanks for any help!
 
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So when you say you want the tangential acceleration then that would be the a component in the direction of v

So look at the dot product of a with v

In a similar vein you should now know how to get the normal component.
 
If you have the equation for the velocity vector v, then you should be able to write down an equation for a unit vector in the direction of the velocity vector. What is that equation?
 

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