Understanding Vector Addition in Acceleration Problems

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around understanding vector addition in the context of acceleration problems, specifically focusing on normal and tangential acceleration components and their relationship to velocity vectors.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the relationship between total acceleration and velocity vectors, questioning the angles involved. There is a focus on visualizing the problem through diagrams and clarifying the definitions of speed and velocity.

Discussion Status

Participants are actively engaging in clarifying misunderstandings about the angles between vectors. Some have offered guidance on the importance of drawing diagrams to visualize the relationships, while others are questioning the assumptions made about the angles involved.

Contextual Notes

There is a mention of the distinction between speed as a scalar quantity and velocity as a vector, which is being discussed in relation to the problem's setup.

PsychonautQQ
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Homework Statement


http://grephysics.net/ans/0177/23

The answer to this problem is confusing me.
So you can calculate the normal acceleration and tangential acceleration to each by equal and 90° apart from each other, so their final vector has an angel of 45°. However, if the speed travels in the same direction as the tangential acceleration, wouldn't the angel between the TOTAL acceleration vector and the velocity vector be 22.5° ?
 
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No, how'd you come up with 22.5 degrees? Try drawing a picture.
 
because the total acceleration vector is at a 45 degree angel, and the velocity vector would be on an axis, so wouldn't between them be 22.5?
 
PsychonautQQ said:

Homework Statement


http://grephysics.net/ans/0177/23

The answer to this problem is confusing me.
So you can calculate the normal acceleration and tangential acceleration to each by equal and 90° apart from each other, so their final vector has an angel of 45°. However, if the speed travels in the same direction as the tangential acceleration, wouldn't the angel between the TOTAL acceleration vector and the velocity vector be 22.5° ?

Speed is a scalar, it doesn't have direction. It is the velocity's magnitude and measures how quickly the particle is moving regardless of the direction of travel.
 
PsychonautQQ said:
because the total acceleration vector is at a 45 degree angel, and the velocity vector would be on an axis, so wouldn't between them be 22.5?
No, it wouldn't. Did you draw a picture? What's the angle between the tangential acceleration and the velocity?
 
vela said:
No, it wouldn't. Did you draw a picture? What's the angle between the tangential acceleration and the velocity?

0? Arn't they the same?
 

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