Uniformly accelerated motion issue

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around a problem in uniformly accelerated motion, specifically analyzing the velocity of a car traveling along a straight road with constant acceleration. The original poster attempts to determine the speed of the car as it passes a road sign, using information about distances traveled during specific time intervals.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the calculation of instantaneous and mean velocities during specific time intervals, questioning the timing of these calculations and their implications on the results. There is a focus on understanding how the distances covered relate to the velocities at different points in time.

Discussion Status

The discussion is active, with participants engaging in clarifying the timing of velocity calculations and the concept of mean velocity. There is a recognition of the need to align the calculated velocities with the correct time intervals, but no consensus has been reached on the implications of these calculations.

Contextual Notes

Participants are navigating the nuances of uniformly accelerated motion and the definitions of velocity in relation to time intervals, with some assumptions about the nature of the motion being questioned.

greg_rack
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Homework Statement
A car is travelling along a straight road with constant acceleration. It passes a road sign. It travels 12.2 m in the 3rd second and 14.4 m in the 4th second after passing the road sign. What was the speed of the car as it passed the road sign?
Result: [6.70m/s]
Relevant Equations
UAM law of time
a=Δv/Δt
v=Δx/Δt
I went quite confidently on this one, at least at the beginning...
I found the instant velocity on the 3rd second(v1=12.2m/1s) and the one on the 4th(v2=14.4m/1s), and subsequently the acceleration(a=2.2/1m/s*s).
Since the acceleration is constant, using the law "v=v0+aΔt", I have found v0 which in my case results as 5.6m/s as opposed to the 6.7m/s it should.
What am I getting wrong?
 
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greg_rack said:
Homework Statement:: A car is traveling along a straight road with constant acceleration. It passes a road sign. It travels 12.2 m in the 3rd second and 14.4 m in the 4th second after passing the road sign. What was the speed of the car as it passed the road sign?
Result: [6.70m/s]
Relevant Equations:: UAM law of time
a=Δv/Δt
v=Δx/Δt

I went quite confidently on this one, at least at the beginning...
I found the instant velocity on the 3rd second(v1=12.2m/1s) and the one on the 4th(v2=14.4m/1s), and subsequently the acceleration(a=2.2/1m/s*s).
Since the acceleration is constant, using the law "v=v0+aΔt", I have found v0 which in my case results as 5.6m/s as opposed to the 6.7m/s it should.
What am I getting wrong?
At what time in the third second did you calculate the velocity? At the beginning, middle or end of that interval?
 
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PeroK said:
At what time in the third second did you calculate the velocity? At the beginning, middle or end of that interval?
I supposed it ran 12.2m in one second, from the beginning to the end of the 3rd second interval.
 
greg_rack said:
I supposed it ran 12.2m in one second, from the beginning to the end of the 3rd second interval.
The question tells you that. But, you calculated a velocity. At what time does that velocity apply?
 
PeroK said:
The question tells you that. But, you calculated a velocity. At what time does that velocity apply?
That applies at the end of the interval, I'd say
 
greg_rack said:
That applies at the end of the interval, I'd say
Are you saying that the car was traveling at ##12.2m/s## at the end of the third second?
 
PeroK said:
Are you saying that the car was traveling at ##12.2m/s## at the end of the third second?
Oh, well, since it's a "mean" velocity, shouldn't it apply to the middle of the third second?
 
greg_rack said:
Oh, well, since it's a "mean" velocity, shouldn't it apply to the middle of the third second?
Exactly!
 
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