Rate of change of acceleration?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of the rate of change of acceleration, often referred to as "jerk," and whether higher-order derivatives of acceleration are relevant in physics. Participants explore the implications of these concepts in various contexts, including vehicle design and theoretical considerations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants inquire whether physicists need to consider the rate of change of acceleration and its higher derivatives, questioning the practical limits of these considerations.
  • One participant explains that "jerk" is significant in the design of vehicle suspension systems and drivetrains, as it relates to the internal reactions of objects to forces and the resulting deformations.
  • Another participant suggests that while "jerk" is relevant, higher rates of change of acceleration may not have practical applications, indicating a potential cutoff in relevance.
  • A further contribution raises the idea that equations involving higher powers of time (beyond three) are rare, citing a lack of examples outside specific contexts like black body radiation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying views on the relevance of higher-order derivatives of acceleration, with some acknowledging the importance of "jerk" while others question the necessity of considering further rates of change. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the practical implications of these concepts.

Contextual Notes

The discussion highlights limitations in the applicability of higher-order derivatives, with participants noting that practical examples may be scarce and dependent on specific contexts.

kashiark
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Do physicists ever have to account for the rate of change of acceleration? What about the rate of change of the rate of change of acceleration? This could keep going on forever, but is there some point where it just doesn't matter for a fairly accurate estimate?
 
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kashiark said:
Do physicists ever have to account for the rate of change of acceleration? What about the rate of change of the rate of change of acceleration? This could keep going on forever, but is there some point where it just doesn't matter for a fairly accurate estimate?

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kashiark said:
Do physicists ever have to account for the rate of change of acceleration?
It's called "jerk", and it's indirectly important in the design of the suspension system and drivetrains of vehicles, and any environment where the rate of change of acceleration corresponds to the rate of change of force or torque. The reaction to any force by an object is some type of deformation, and since it takes time for the deformation reaction to occur, there's a period of time where the object experiences internal linear (suspension) and/or angular (drivetrain) accelerations and deformations. Reducing the "jerk" reduces the shock to these components.

What about the rate of change of the rate of change of acceleration?
For most situations, I think it stops at "jerk".
 
Last edited:
If there were any higher rates then then the base quantity T(time) would be raised to the powers of 4,5 etc and apart from black body radiation I can't, at present, think of any equations where a base quantity is raised to a power higher than three.It's an interesting question.
 

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