- #1
Poetria
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Homework Statement
A person is standing on an elevator initially at rest at the first floor of a high building. The elevator then begins to ascend to the sixth floor, which is a known distance h above the starting point. A plot of the acceleration as a function of time is shown in the figure above. The elevator undergoes an unknown constant acceleration of magnitude a for a given time interval T. Then the elevator moves at a constant velocity for a time interval 4T. Finally the elevator brakes with an acceleration of magnitude a, (the same magnitude as the initial acceleration), for a time interval T until stopping at the sixth floor.
Find a,the magnitude of the acceleration. Express your answers in terms of h and T as needed.
Homework Equations
[/B]
I thought this equation is the right one:
d=1/2*a*t^2
initial velocity is O
The Attempt at a Solution
[/B]
The question is somewhat obscure to me. Should I find an average magnitude?
a=h/(36*T^2) as h - six floors and there are 6 T - time intervals
or simply - the lift speeding up during T:
a=h/(6*T^2)
It looks simple but I am confused.