How Do I Calculate Position and Velocity in a Particle Movement Problem?

  • Thread starter ziddy83
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In summary, The position of a particle can be found by plugging in values for t into the position function s(t). To find the velocity of the particle, take the derivative of the position function and plug in the value for t.
  • #1
ziddy83
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The following code was used to generate this LaTeX image:
A particle moves according to the position function.


[tex]s(t) = \frac{1}{3}t^3 - t^2-4t[/tex]

Find the position of the particle at t=1 and t=6.

To do this, Do i take s'(t) and then plug in the values for t?
then another part is to find the velocity of the particle at t...for that would i use the velocity function, finding the limit of t? I hope someone can help, thanks a lot!
 
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  • #2
ziddy83 said:
The following code was used to generate this LaTeX image:
A particle moves according to the position function.


[tex]s(t) = \frac{1}{3}t^3 - t^2-4t[/tex]

Find the position of the particle at t=1 and t=6.

To do this, Do i take s'(t) and then plug in the values for t?
then another part is to find the velocity of the particle at t...for that would i use the velocity function, finding the limit of t? I hope someone can help, thanks a lot!

This is extremely simple: You are given the position, you only need to plug in the values for t!

The velocity is the derivative of position with respect time. Determine s' and plug in t.

ehild
 
  • #3
wow...thanks a lot man
 

1. What is the difference between velocity and position?

Velocity refers to the rate of change of an object's position with respect to time. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. Position, on the other hand, refers to the location of an object in space at a specific time. It is a scalar quantity, meaning it has only magnitude.

2. How do I calculate velocity and position?

Velocity can be calculated by dividing the change in position by the change in time. In other words, velocity = (change in position) / (change in time). Position can be calculated by multiplying velocity by time. In other words, position = velocity * time.

3. What is the relationship between velocity and acceleration?

Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity with respect to time. This means that if an object's velocity changes, it is experiencing acceleration. If an object's velocity remains constant, there is no acceleration.

4. How does direction affect velocity and position?

Direction is a crucial component of velocity, as it is a vector quantity. This means that even if an object has the same speed (magnitude of velocity), if it changes direction, its velocity will also change. However, direction does not affect position, as it is a scalar quantity.

5. What are some real-life examples of velocity and position?

Velocity and position are concepts that can be applied to many real-life situations. For example, the speed and direction of a car on a road can be described by its velocity, while its location on the road at a specific time can be described by its position. Similarly, a ball being thrown in the air has a changing velocity and position as it moves through the air.

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