How to Calculate Velocity with Air Drag and Given Variables?

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Homework Help Overview

The original poster attempts to calculate the velocity of a car going downhill while accounting for air drag and other forces. They provide specific variables including initial and final velocities, energy lost, hill length, and coefficients related to drag and friction.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the forces acting on the car, including rolling force, air drag, and gravity. There is a focus on how to relate these forces to the velocity of the car, with some questioning the role of time in the calculations.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants exploring different interpretations of the forces involved and how they relate to the velocity calculation. Some guidance has been offered regarding the net forces acting on the car, but no consensus has been reached on the approach to take.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the complexity of the problem due to the interdependence of velocity and drag force in the equations. There is also a mention of the original poster's confusion regarding the variables they need to solve for.

michelle2011
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Homework Statement


I am trying to find the velocity of a car as it is going down hill. I have the final velocity which is 11.2 m/s and the initial velocity which is 2.23m/s. I have to include Air drag to get my velocity. I also know that there was 21,456 J of energy lost from up the hill to down the hill. I also know that the hill is 18 m long...Here are more variables that i was given
Coffiecient of drag: 0.38
Density of air: 1.293 kg/m^3
Cross-sectional are of car: 1.4 m by 1.6 m
Angle of hill: 10 degrees
Coefficient of rolling friction: 0.020


Homework Equations


The only thing I have to work with is the drag force equation.
F(D)=0.5pv^2C(D)A
p=Density of air
C(D)=coefficient of drag
A=cross-sectional area of the car
v=velocity of car

The Attempt at a Solution


I am contemplating on using that but velocity is involved in the equation and velocity is what I am looking for.
 
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hi michelle2011! :smile:

total force = ma = mdv/dt

so what are the forces? :wink:
 
What you want to do is find the net sum of forces acting on the car and then convert that to a velocity by using Tim's equation.
 
Are my net forces rolling force and air drag??
 
michelle2011 said:
Are my net forces rolling force and air drag??

net force is the (vector) sum of all the forces

(ie there is only one net force)

your three forces are the friction, the drag, and gravity
 
In the equation you gave me can I just find my (t) from a simple equation??
 
(just got up :zzz:)
michelle2011 said:
In the equation you gave me can I just find my (t) from a simple equation??

i'm confused … you're looking for v, not t :confused:

anyway, what equation do you get? :smile:
 

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