Relativity: A bus with a vertical windshield

[itssmee]

Homework Statement

A bus with a vertical windshield moves along in rainstorm at speed V relative to the ground. The raindrops fall vertically with a terminal speed of V' relative to the ground. At what angle do the raindrops strike the windshield?

Homework Equations

Kinematics equations

The Attempt at a Solution

The only thing I've attempted so far is the trying to draw the diagram. Even then, I'm still confused as to how the diagram should be drawn. I'm quite lost and do not know how to approach this problem. Thanks for all the help.

 

[phinds]

Homework Statement

A bus with a vertical windshield moves along in rainstorm at speed V relative to the ground. The raindrops fall vertically with a terminal speed of V' relative to the ground. At what angle do the raindrops strike the windshield?

Homework Equations

Kinematics equations

The Attempt at a Solution

The only thing I've attempted so far is the trying to draw the diagram. Even then, I'm still confused as to how the diagram should be drawn. I'm quite lost and do not know how to approach this problem. Thanks for all the help.

Did you draw vectors for the velocities?

 

[itssmee]

Did you draw vectors for the velocities?

I'm really sorry, but I don't fully understand what you're saying.

 

[phinds]

Do you understand what a vector is? You are probably getting hung up on the fact that you are only taking into account the SPEEDS but you need to combine each speed with its direction to create a (velocity) vector. Then you will have 2 vectors that will give you the answer.

 

[Nickie]

Hello,

I can provide some insight into this problem for you. First, let's define some variables: V is the speed of the bus relative to the ground, V' is the terminal speed of the raindrops relative to the ground, and θ is the angle at which the raindrops strike the windshield.

To solve this problem, we can use the kinematics equations. The key here is to consider the motion of the raindrops relative to the bus. Since the raindrops are falling vertically with a terminal speed of V', we can say that their velocity relative to the bus is also V'. Now, we can use the kinematics equation for projectile motion to find the angle at which the raindrops strike the windshield.

θ = arctan(V'/V)

This means that the angle at which the raindrops strike the windshield is dependent on the ratio of V' to V. If V' is equal to V, then the raindrops will strike the windshield at a 45 degree angle. If V' is greater than V, then the angle will be less than 45 degrees, and if V' is less than V, then the angle will be greater than 45 degrees.

I hope this helps you approach the problem. Remember to always consider the relative motion of objects when solving problems in physics. Good luck with your homework!