Newton's Second Law of Motion: F=ma, Compute v^2

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around Newton's Second Law of Motion, specifically the equation F=ma, and its application at varying speeds, including relativistic speeds. Participants explore the implications of simplifying the expression for force when considering high-speed scenarios and the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the validity of ignoring the speed of light in the context of low speeds and question the significance of the ratio of velocity to the speed of light. There are attempts to clarify the correct form of the equations and the implications of relativistic effects on the derivative of the force equation.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants providing corrections and clarifications regarding the equations involved. Some guidance has been offered on the treatment of the gamma factor in the context of derivatives, though there is no explicit consensus on the simplifications being discussed.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating the complexities of applying Newton's laws in relativistic contexts, with some expressing uncertainty about the assumptions being made regarding speed and the relevance of relativistic corrections.

Jontafin410
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Newton's Second law of motion F=ma, where m is the mass of the object that undergoes an acceleration a due to to an applied force F. This law is accurate at low speeds. At high speeds, we use the corresponding formula from Einstein's theory of relativity
F=m[tex]\frac{d}{dt}[/tex]([tex]\frac{v(t)}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v(t)}{c}}[/tex])

Where v(t) is the velocity function and c is the speed of light. Compute

v^2

What has to be "ignored" to simplify this expression to the acceleration a=v'(t) in Newton's second law?

 
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do you mean
[tex] F = m \frac{d}{dt}\frac{v(t)}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v(t)}{c}}}[/tex]

what do you think?
 
ignore the speed of light?
 
At low speeds, is the ratio of v to c significant?

lanedance said:
do you mean
[tex] F = m \frac{d}{dt}\frac{v(t)}{\sqrt{1-\left(\frac{v(t)}{c}\right)^2}}[/tex]

what do you think?

Fixed it for you.
 
no =) it such a small number it can be neglected. so ignore the ration. thank you
 
Yep!
 
Yea the equation thing on the sight is confusing. What would the derivative of that equation be?
 
Well, firstly, I believe that it is [itex]F=ma\gamma[/itex], where [tex]\gamma=\frac{1}{\sqrt{1-\left(\frac{v}{c}\right)^2}}[/tex]. But I'm not certain.
 
[tex]F=\frac{dp}{dt}=\frac{d(\gamma mv)}{dt}=m\frac{d}{dt}(\frac{v}{\sqrt{1-\frac{v^2}{c^2}}})}\neq\gamma ma[/tex]

You can't simply pull the gamma out of the derivative because it's v-dependent. You need to take the derivative. You can use the chain rule and the division rule.
 

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