The discussion revolves around the calculation of resultant displacement in a stretched spring, focusing on vector sums and angles related to the spring's orientation and properties. Participants are examining the implications of the problem statement's lack of clarity regarding variables and conditions.
The discussion is ongoing, with participants raising concerns about the completeness of the problem statement and the definitions of variables. Some guidance has been offered regarding the interpretation of tangent in relation to the problem, but no consensus has been reached.
There are noted deficiencies in the problem statement, including the lack of information on whether dx and dy are equal, the absence of definitions for variables such as ##\lambda## and w, and the orientation of the spring, which are crucial for understanding the problem.
tina21 said:If I take the vector sum, I am getting the angle to be 1. (tan^-1 tan(1)). Is that correct?
thanks for your help :)DEvens said:No, that's not correct. I think I can guess what you are trying to say but I have to guess. I think you mean that the x and y are equal, so you want to get the angle that comes from that.
But remember what tangent is in terms of triangles. Opposite over adjacent. Or if you like to build a roof, rise-over-run. So the tangent is 1 if x=y. You don't want to take the tangent of 1 since that's already a tangent.
But the question does not say x=y. So what is the tangent if x is not equal to y?
Also, you need to get the resultant displacement. Remember how you calculate distances if you have the x and the y.
thanksBvU said:Hi,
Your homework problem statement looks deficient to me: it does not say whether dx and dy are equal or not, there is no mention of ##\lambda## or w, no mention of the orientation of the spring, etc.
An equation is meaningless without a definition of the variables in it and the context in which it applies. What are the variables here, and what is the context?tina21 said:Homework Equations: x = acos(2*pi*z/lambda - 2*pi*w)
y = a sin(2*pi*z/lambda -2*pi*w)