Understanding Kinematics in Calculus for High School Students

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around understanding the phrase "in the second second" as it relates to kinematics in calculus, particularly in the context of integration and differentiation methods. Participants explore how to express time intervals in terms of displacement and velocity, aiming to clarify terminology for high school students learning these concepts.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification
  • Homework-related
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks clarification on how to interpret "in the second second" when integrating, expressing a need for simpler terminology.
  • Another participant suggests that "in the first second" corresponds to the interval from t=0 s to t=1 s, and similarly for subsequent seconds, proposing that "in the second second" refers to t=1 s to t=2 s.
  • Some participants discuss the potential confusion arising from the phrase "second second," noting that it combines an ordinal with a time interval, which may lead to misunderstandings.
  • There is mention of the relationship between acceleration, velocity, and displacement, with some participants explaining that integrating acceleration gives velocity and integrating velocity gives distance.
  • One participant expresses gratitude for the clarification provided by others, indicating that the explanations helped them understand the concept better.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the interpretation of the phrase "in the second second" as referring to specific time intervals, though there is some discussion about the clarity of the terminology used. No consensus is reached on the best way to phrase these intervals, as some find the original wording confusing.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying levels of familiarity with calculus terminology, indicating that the discussion is aimed at high school students who may not yet be comfortable with complex concepts. The conversation reflects an ongoing effort to clarify definitions and expressions in kinematics.

solarmidnightrose
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hi, I'm a high-school student that is just beginning to learn calculus.
in calculus we are learning how to apply integration and diffrentiaiton methods regarding kinematics.

there is this certain phrase i do not really understand in our textbook: e.g."in the second second"
how am i meant to write "in the second second" when I'm integrating? It would be nice if you included an example.

thanks :)
Oh, and Please remember I am a high-school student that doesn't understand complex terminology yet.
 
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Did you mean “meters per second” and “meters per second per second” but in another language translated to English?

In the first case of meters per second that is speed or velocity

In the second case of meters per second per second that is acceleration.

Integrating acceleration over time gets you the velocity and integrating velocity over time gets you distance.
 
solarmidnightrose said:
there is this certain phrase i do not really understand in our textbook: e.g."in the second second"
how am i meant to write "in the second second" when I'm integrating? It would be nice if you included an example.

Could it mean this?

"in the first second" means t=0{\rm\ s} to t=1{\rm\ s}. So, the displacement during the first second is \int_0^1 v dt
"in the second second" means t=1{\rm\ s} to t=2{\rm\ s}. The displacement during the second second is \int_1^2 v dt
"in the third second" means t=2{\rm\ s} to t=3{\rm\ s}, etc.
 
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solarmidnightrose said:
in the second second"

robphy said:
Could it mean this?

"in the first second" means t=0 to t=1 <snip>
I'm pretty sure that's what was intended. Writing "second second" is a little confusing, in that the first word is an ordinal (e.g., first, second,, third, etc.) while the next word is a time interval.
 
robphy said:
Could it mean this?

"in the first second" means t=0{\rm\ s} to t=1{\rm\ s}. So, the displacement during the first second is \int_0^1 v dt
"in the second second" means t=1{\rm\ s} to t=2{\rm\ s}. The displacement during the second second is \int_1^2 v dt
"in the third second" means t=2{\rm\ s} to t=3{\rm\ s}, etc.
Thank You Soooooo Much 'robphy'! This makes soo much sense now :)
 
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jedishrfu said:
Did you mean “meters per second” and “meters per second per second” but in another language translated to English?

In the first case of meters per second that is speed or velocity

In the second case of meters per second per second that is acceleration.

Integrating acceleration over time gets you the velocity and integrating velocity over time gets you distance.

Thanks 'jedishrfu' :) Sorry if my description didn't make sense, but what you've said has also proved a useful reminder for myself.
 
Mark44 said:
I'm pretty sure that's what was intended. Writing "second second" is a little confusing, in that the first word is an ordinal (e.g., first, second,, third, etc.) while the next word is a time interval.

Yeah, you're right 'Mark44'. That was exactly what I meant.
I guess I did choose a confusing example to explain my confusion.
 

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