How Many G-Units Did Colonel John P. Stapp Experience Stopping His Rocket Sled?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around calculating the acceleration experienced by Colonel John P. Stapp while stopping his rocket sled, specifically in terms of g units. The context involves kinematics and the conversion of units related to acceleration.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the given information, including initial velocity, final velocity, and time taken to stop. Questions are raised about the appropriate formula for calculating acceleration and how to convert that result into g units.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging with the problem, clarifying the variables involved and exploring the necessary formulas. Some guidance has been offered regarding the conversion to g units, but no consensus on the final calculation has been reached.

Contextual Notes

There is a focus on ensuring the correct interpretation of the initial and final velocities, as well as the need for unit conversion to express acceleration in g units. The discussion reflects the constraints of the problem as presented by the original poster.

baylayA
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A world's land speed record was set by Colonel John P. Stapp when in March 1954 he rode a rocket-propelled sled that moved along a track at 1020 km/h. He and the sled were brought to a stop in 1.4 s. In g units, what acceleration did he experience while stopping?
 
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Im pretty sure (correct me if I'm wrong) but this forum is for help on a question not the answer, what exactly are u struggling with?
 
I don't know what formula to use
 
What are your givens and your requirements. Writing those down makes finding the correct formula to use easier
 
i have km/hr of how fast he was moving and how many seconds it took for him to stop and i need to find G units of his acceleration while he was stopping.
 
okay so you have time, and velocity and your looking for acceleration. But Velocity can be split into V1(Initial) and V2(Final) so what was his initial velocity and final velocity?
 
That is the only velocity given so I'm not sure.
 
Well Hes starting with a speed and he's coming to a stop.
 
oh so it's original and then 0 is the final?
 
  • #10
Thats right. so you have v1, v2, and t, and your looking for acceleration so what formula has all of those variables in it
 
  • #11
a= vf-vo
_____
t

thank you!
 
  • #12
but how do you get it into G units?
 
  • #13
anytime, Glad i could help, don't forget to convert to g's, the conversion factor is:
1g = 9.81 m/s^2

basically 1g is the acceleration of gravity
 

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