Solving Acceleration Problems

Ch. 4 in your text book

Objectives – Students will be able to:
1) Write down all given information for a problem, both implicit and explicit
2) Recognize which equation to use for a given problem
3) Solve an analytical problem involving acceleration
 Constant Acceleration Equations
What is the equation for this line? We are going to use just variables.

v (m/s)
vf
v = at + vi

This is a general velocity equation

vi

t (s)
t
 Constant Acceleration Equations
Lets look at what we’re really doing when we calculate the area
under the curve. For this, we’ll need to take away the numbers.
v (m/s)
Area for rectangle: x = vit
vf

Area for triangle:

2
vi
Remember this? a
t (s)
t
 Constant Acceleration Equations
If we multiply both sides by t,
we see that at = vf -vi
v (m/s)
vf Area for triangle:
2
Area for rectangle: x = vit
vi
Total displacement:
2
t (s)
t
 Constant Acceleration Equations
There’s one more equation we’ll use that we could derive from the
previous two equations, but I’ll spare you. If you really want to see
the derivation, come talk to me later and I’ll show you.
2
 Recognizing Information
All the problems we’ll solve will have enough information in them to find
what you’re supposed to find (“no solution” will not be the answer).

Explicit information – information that you are told directly

Check for understanding – In the following problem, identify the explicit

information:
A bullet comes to rest in a tree in .01 seconds, with an acceleration of
-8000 m/s2. What was the bullet’s velocity right before it hit the tree?

t = .01 s a = -8000 m/s2

 Recognizing Information
Implicit information – information that you are not told directly, but you can
infer based on the description of the situation

Check for understanding – In the following problem, identify the implicit

information:
A bullet comes to rest in a tree in .01 seconds, with an acceleration of
-8000 m/s2. What was the bullet’s velocity right before it hit the tree?

vf = 0
 Recognizing Information
To solve these types of problems, you need to list out all the information
you’re told as well as the variable you’re trying to find.

Given information:
t = .01 s
a = -8000 m/s2
vf = 0
vi = ?
 Recognizing Information
Next, you’ll need to choose the right equation to use. This is always a sticking
point with students. There will be one equation that has all the variables
you’ve listed in the given information, including the unknown variable.
Given information: Equations:
t = .01 s v = at + vi
a = -8000 m/s2
vf = 0 2
2
vi = ?
 Solving The Problem
A bullet comes to rest in a tree in .01 seconds, with an acceleration of -8000 m/s2.
What was the bullet’s velocity right before it hit the tree?

t = .01 s v = at + vi
a = -8000 m/s2 0 = (-8000)(.01) + vi
vf = 0 vi = 80 m/s
vi = ?
 Solving The Problem
A bullet comes to rest in a tree in .01 seconds, with an acceleration of -8000 m/s2.
How far into the tree did the bullet penetrate?

Given information: Equations:

t = .01 s v = at + vi
a = -8000 m/s2
vf = 0 2
2
vi = 80 m/s
x=?
 Solving The Problem
A bullet comes to rest in a tree in .01 seconds, with an acceleration of -8000 m/s2.
How far into the tree did the bullet penetrate?

t = .01 s 8000 .01

80 .01
a = -8000 m/s2 2
.8 .4 .4
vf = 0
vi = 80 m/s
2 8000 0 80
x=?
-16000x = -6400
x = .4 m
 Solving The Problem
At the scene of a car accident, the forensic investigator measured the skid marks
from one of the vehicles to be 83 m long. He also knows the typical acceleration
for a car when you slam on the brakes is -4 m/s2. The speed limit for this area is
100 km/hr (about 28 m/s). Was the car speeding before it hit the brakes?
Given information: Equations:
x = 83 m v = at + vi
a = -4 m/s2
vf = 0 2
2
vi = ? m/s
 Solving The Problem
At the scene of a car accident, the forensic investigator measured the skid marks
from one of the vehicles to be 83 m long. He also knows the typical acceleration
for a car when you slam on the brakes is -4 m/s2. The speed limit for this area is
100 km/hr (about 28 m/s). Was the car speeding before it hit the brakes?
Given information:
2
x = 83 m
a = -4 m/s2 2 4 83 0
vf = 0 664
vi = ? m/s 25.78 /