Math 1210 Signature Project

By: Caleb McFalls

Problem:
Suppose that a particle moves according to the law of motion t ≥ 0,
where s is in meters and t is in seconds. Use your knowledge of the relationship between
position, velocity, and acceleration to answer the following questions. Use exact values (not
approximations) throughout.
a) Find the velocity of the particle at time t. What is the velocity at t=0?
b) Determine, using algebraic analysis, when the particle is moving in a positive direction, a
negative direction, and when it is at rest.
c) Find the total distance traveled by the particle in the first 12seconds.
d) Find the acceleration of the particle at time t. What is the acceleration at t= 0?
e) When is the particle speeding up and slowing down? Explain how you found your answers.

Answer and Explanation:

a) Find the velocity of the particle at time t. What is the velocity at t=0?

Velocity =

Velocity at time t is:

So, at t=0 the velocity is:

b) Determine, using algebraic analysis, when the particle is moving in a positive direction, a
negative direction, and when it is at rest.
 (roots of the equation)

Because the velocity between is positive, the particle is moving in positive direction.
Because the velocity between is negative, the particle is moving in a negative
direction.
Because the velocity between is positive, the particle is moving in positive direction.

c) Find the total distance traveled by the particle in the first 12seconds.

Between t=0 and t=2

Between t=2 and t=8

Between t=8 and t=12

Total distance traveled in 12 seconds is

d) Find the acceleration of the particle at time t. What is the acceleration at t= 0?

Acceleration =

The acceleration at time t is:

So, the acceleration at t=0 is:

e) When is the particle speeding up and slowing down? Explain how you found your answers.

When a(t) = 0 (root of the equation)

Acceleration between t=0 and t=5 (at point t=2) is

Acceleration between t=5 and t=8 (at point t=6) is

At point t=9 is

The particle is slowing down when .

The particle is speeding up at and .

Graphs for position, velocity, and acceleration questions:

These graphs do back the answers that I gave for a-e, for instance in the velocity problem you
could tell if the particle is speeding up or slowing down depending on which direction the line is
going. If the line is moving up (positive direction) the particle is speeding up, if it is moving
down (negative direction) the particle is slowing down.

Summary:
This project was a good way to test lots the fundamental “tools” that we have learned thus far
in math 1210. There were a few problems that I encountered while solving the various
problems, one for example was in finding the velocity at different points to find when the
particle was moving in a positive or negative direction. I got over this problem by finding the
roots of the equation and then using those as guides on where to pick points. My “Real World”
example on an application of this kind of math is it could be applied to analyze the success or
failures of a company’s sales. If the sales could be plotted on a graph it could be analyzed like
the particle to find wither or not the company is making money or losing it, you could also see
how fast or slow its making/losing money.

Sources:
Desmos (for graphing)