Help with Problem: Find Distance Travelled in First 5.0s

  • Thread starter Alanf718
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In summary, the conversation is about solving a physics problem involving a ball rolling down a hill with uniform acceleration. The person tried to calculate the displacement in the first 5 seconds but got a different answer than the book. They eventually figure out that they need to use the equation of displacement for the second 5 seconds and substitute values to find the acceleration. They also realize they can use a different equation to find the initial velocity for the second 5 seconds.
  • #1
Alanf718
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I was doing this problem, and now I wonder where I went wrong

The problem states
A ball starts from rest and rolls down a hill iwth uniform acceleration, traveling 150m during the second 5.0s of its motion. How far did it roll during the first 5.0s of motion.

This is what I did

x = 150m
t = 5.0s
with that data I got the velocity for stage 2
v = 30m/s

with that I tried to determine the acceleration so
V = Vo + at
30m/s = 0m/s + a(10s);
I got a = 3m/s

then I tried getting the x with
X = Xo + Vot + 1/2(a*t^2);
X = 0 + 0 + 1/2(3m/s*(5^2));
and I got X to be 37.5m but the book says the answer is 50m where did I go wrong?
 
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  • #2
Alanf718 said:
...This is what I did

x = 150m
t = 5.0s
with that data I got the velocity for stage 2
v = 30m/s

This would be correct if there was no acceleration, i.e. if the velocity had been constant. Write down the equation of displacement for the second interval of 5 seconds first. Then see which parts of the equation you can (and need) to express with information you know about the first 5 seconds. You'll end up having only one unknown, which will be the acceleration. Then you can easily calculate the displacement in the first 5 seconds.
 
  • #3
Iam ending up with 2 unknowns
writing it as
X- Xo = Vot + 1/2(a*t^2);

That leaves me with Vo unknown as well as the a, I can't solve it with 2 unkowns :-( and I don't know How I would get the initial velocity at stage two to solve this.[EDIT]
Forget it i got the answer I replace Vo with a*t in other words a*5 thanks for the help!
 
Last edited:
  • #4
Alanf718 said:
Iam ending up with 2 unknowns
writing it as
X- Xo = Vot + 1/2(a*t^2);

That leaves me with Vo unknown as well as the a, I can't solve it with 2 unkowns :-( and I don't know How I would get the initial velocity at stage two to solve this.

Okay, the equation of displacement for the 'second' 5 sec is x = x0 + v0*t + 1/2*a*t^2, hence 150 = x0 + v0*5 + 1/2*a*5^2. What does xo equal? And what about v0?
 

What is the problem trying to solve?

The problem is trying to find the distance travelled in the first 5.0 seconds of motion.

What information is needed to solve this problem?

To solve this problem, we need the initial velocity, the acceleration, and the time elapsed.

How can this problem be solved?

This problem can be solved by using the formula: distance = initial velocity * time + 0.5 * acceleration * time^2

What units should the inputs and output be in?

The inputs of initial velocity and acceleration should be in m/s and the time should be in seconds. The output of distance travelled should be in meters.

What are some possible sources of error in solving this problem?

Possible sources of error could include inaccurate measurements of initial velocity or acceleration, rounding errors in calculations, or not taking into account external factors such as friction or air resistance.

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