The discussion revolves around calculating position z(t) from a velocity function that depends on position. The original poster describes a scenario involving force and acceleration, leading to a derived velocity function.
The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring the implications of variable choice and the necessary steps to integrate velocity to find position. There is a suggestion that integrating velocity is a typical approach, but the need for a time-dependent function is noted.
There is a mention of confusion regarding variable representation, specifically the use of 'y' instead of 'z', which may affect clarity in the problem setup.
I'm confused by your choice of variables in this problem. The usual variables that are used in problems of this type are s for position, v for velocity, and a for acceleration, where v = ds/dt, and a = dv/dt = d2s/dt2.henryc09 said:Homework Statement
I have a problem where I have a force and therefore acceleration which depends on position, z. Using z'' = dv/dt = dv/dy * dy/dt = v*dv/dy I was able to find velocity as a function of position.
henryc09 said:It nows asks for z(t). I'm having a bit of a mental block here and don't know how to go about finding this. Any help would be appreciated!