How do I find acceleration using only distance traveled and time?

Question

My TA and professor are almost virtually inaccessible and this book says absolutely NOTHING on anything but "final velocity - initial velocity / time"...
...or, if you could explain it using numbers...

An object traveled .239 meters in 2.10295 seconds. What is the acceleration?

Thanks...

Answer 1

The formula for an object accelerating from rest at 0 displacement is simply:
s=(.5a)(t^2)
where s is displacement, t is time, and a is acceleration.

Plugging this in:
.239=.5a(2.10295^2)

The result (if my calculator is working correctly) is .108 m/sec^2.

Answer 2

You can't work it out. There is no information in that question that tells you the acceleration. You'd need to know something like "the object starts off at rest (initial velocity = 0) and that it accelerates at a uniform rate. If there is nothing like this supplied, then you can't say the acceleration.

What's the complete wording of the question?

Answer 3

Hi,

There is some vital information missing here. If the object is traveling in a straight line, all you can say is that its average velocity is 0.239/2.10295 m/s

Acceleration is about rate of change of velocity. Which is why your book mentions initial and final velocity.

You are not by any chance dealing with a problem about motion in a circle are you?

Answer 4

V = Vo + at the place V = very final speed; Vo = preliminary speed; a = acceleration; t = time Substituting: 25 = 12 + (a)(6.0) a = 2.167 m/s^2 there is greater advantageous than one mindset to try this: in case you have consistent acceleration, you need to use: x = (a million/2)(V + Vo) t Or, you need to use: X= Xo + Vo t + (a million/2)at^2 or you need to use: V^2 = Vo^2 + 2ad utilising the least confusing: x = (a million/2)(12+25)(6.0) x = 111 m

Answer 5

s = s0 + v0*t + at²/2 where s is distance, s0 is initial displacement. v0 is initial velocity, a is acceleration, and t is time. (If you don't have some version of that equation somewhere in your Physics book, I'd be in the Deans Office demanding a tuition refund)

In your problem (since s0 and v0 aren't given, assume them to be 0)
.239 = a(2.10295)²/2
.478 = a*4.4224
a = .478 / 4.4224 = .1081 m/s²

HTH ☺


Doug

Answer 6

acceleration = Velocity change/time.
so if u dont know anything about the velocity change then there's no way u can find the acceleration. if we assume velocity remained constant during the whole time. then acceleration=0.

Answer 7

A= v/t if you wanted to find average acceleratin then you would need initial speed and final speed and then the formula is
final speed - initial speed/ time... i think :D

p.s- v= velocity or speed