Confusing Mechanics Question: Velocity of Rocket on Touchdown

[Falley]

So,while learning mechanics,I found that most questions use g=-9.8 ,but when calculating the velocity the instant a rocket touches the ground,the solution instead used g=9.8,which is very confusing.Other questions of similar workings used g=-9.8,anybody care to help?

 

[e.bar.goum]

It depends on which direction you define as "up". As long as you are consistent, it doesn't matter which you use.

 

[Falley]

But for the same question,part a),b)c) a n b used -9.8 while c used 9.8

 

[Nugatory]

In every problem we get to choose whether we consider forces, velocities, and accelerations to be positive when they're in the upwards direction and negative when they're in the downward direction, or the other way around. Gravity pulls downward, so it will be negative if you use the "positive up" convention, positive if you use the "positive down" convention.

Either way works just fine - you just have to be consistent throughout the problem.

 

[Nugatory]

But for the same question,part a),b)c) a n b used -9.8 while c used 9.8

Most likely your textbook author was most comfortable thinking about parts a and b one way and part c the other way. Once you get used to it, you'll find yourself picking whichever one feels most natural for a given problem or subproblem without even thinking about it.

Or maybe he did it in purpose, just to keep you on your toes... Recognizing which sign convention is being used and being able to handle either one is an important skill and exercising it might have been the point of this problem.

Or maybe he was just careless. It happens

 

[CWatters]

Post the exact question otherwise we are guessing.

 

[Falley]

Example 3,the rocket

 

[Erik Cox]

Both are meaningless without units... :)

 

[Dale]

Example 3,the rocket

That is just a typo. The equation, as written, doesn't have the solution 25.9 s. The solutions for +9.8 m/s^2 are both negative. Only -9.8 m/s^2 gives a positive solution and that soluiton is 25.9 s.

 

[CWatters]

In case it's not obvious... Their approach is far more complicated than necessary. They are working out the impact velocity starting from the point where the rocket motor shuts off on the way up. It's possible to do that but it's much easier to assume it just falls from the max height which you worked out in part (b).

 

[Falley]

Thanks a lot,cleared up a lot of things for me