Need help understanding relative velocity problem

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves a student running against the direction of an escalator that moves at a speed of 1.8 meters/second. The escalator is 30.0 meters long, and the student aims to beat a record time of 11 seconds for traversing this distance. Participants are discussing the implications of running in the "wrong direction" on the escalator and the necessary speed the student must achieve to surpass the record.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Some participants seek clarification on the meaning of "running the wrong direction" and how it affects the student's required speed. Others are trying to understand the relationship between the escalator's speed and the time constraint of 11 seconds.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants clarifying the terminology used in the problem. There is an acknowledgment that the student's running speed must exceed a certain threshold to beat the record, but no consensus on the exact calculations or methods has been reached yet.

Contextual Notes

Participants note that the speed of the escalator is given as a speed rather than a force, which is a point of clarification in the discussion.

Shindo
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Homework Statement


The escalator that leads down into a subway station has a length of 30.0 meters and a speed of 1.8 meters/second. relative to the ground. A student is coming out of the station by running in the wrong direction on this escalator. The local record time for this trick is 11 seconds. Relative to the escalator what speed must the student exceed in order to beat the record?

My question: I don't understand what this question is asking. What does it mean by "running the wrong direction on this escalator"? Any help on what this question is asking, and what I need to find is very appreciated.
 
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Shindo said:

Homework Statement


The escalator that leads down into a subway station has a length of 30.0 meters and a speed of 1.8 meters/second. relative to the ground. A student is coming out of the station by running in the wrong direction on this escalator. The local record time for this trick is 11 seconds. Relative to the escalator what speed must the student exceed in order to beat the record?

My question: I don't understand what this question is asking. What does it mean by "running the wrong direction on this escalator"? Any help on what this question is asking, and what I need to find is very appreciated.

Welcome to PF.

The "wrong" direction means that the person is running on the escalator in the opposite direction that the escalator is moving. Normally, a person would either stand on the escalator and move in with the same speed and the same direction as the escalator, OR walk on the escalator in the same direction that the escalator is already moving.
 
Redbelly98 said:
The "wrong" direction means that the person is running on the escalator in the opposite direction that the escalator is moving.

Okay, but just to clarify, the question is asking how fast the person needs to run a 30 meter distance, with 1.8 m/s of force AGAINST him; all that it is faster than 11 seconds?
 
Yes.

(Except that 1.8 m/s is a speed, not a force. :smile:)
 

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