Magnitude and direction of acceleration

In summary, the person's acceleration towards home plate was 5.36 m/s^2 and the distance they slid was either calculated using d=vt + 1/2at^2 or V2 = 2ax, both yielding the same result.
  • #1
bumblebee
10
0
1. You are going toward home plate at speed of 5.9 m/s when you hit the dirt. You slide for 1.1 s just reaching the plate as you stop.
a)What is the magnitude and direction of your acceleration?
b) How far did you slide?
I got 5.36 m/s^2 for the acceleration. Not sure if I did this right.
 
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  • #2
bumblebee said:
1. You are going toward home plate at speed of 5.9 m/s when you hit the dirt. You slide for 1.1 s just reaching the plate as you stop.
a)What is the magnitude and direction of your acceleration?
b) How far did you slide?
I got 5.36 m/s^2 for the acceleration. Not sure if I did this right.

Welcome to PF.

That looks OK for magnitude. Which direction was the acceleration? Toward the plate or toward 3rd base?

Now how far was the slide. Do you have an equation that would give you the distance if you know the acceleration and time?
 
  • #3
Thanks, LowlyPion.

Is it d=vt + 1/2at^2?

I'm getting all these equations confused.
 
  • #4
bumblebee said:
Thanks, LowlyPion.

Is it d=vt + 1/2at^2?

I'm getting all these equations confused.

That works as long as you realize that you are coming to a stop, so velocity will be 0.

Alternatively since you also know velocity you could use the relationship that

V2 = 2 a x

That should yield the same result.

It's important to understand that the relationships between distance, time, acceleration can be reworked in a number of ways to express things in terms that you may have directly to find what you need.

This link may provide you with a list of the equations as a brief reference:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=905663&postcount=2
 
Last edited:
  • #5
Thanks! This helps!
 

FAQ: Magnitude and direction of acceleration

What is acceleration?

Acceleration is the rate of change of an object's velocity. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.

What is the difference between speed and acceleration?

Speed is a scalar quantity that measures how fast an object is moving. Acceleration, on the other hand, is a vector quantity that measures how an object's speed is changing over time.

How is acceleration calculated?

Acceleration can be calculated by dividing the change in an object's velocity by the time it takes for that change to occur. The formula for acceleration is a = (vf - vi) / t, where vf is the final velocity, vi is the initial velocity, and t is the time.

What are the units of acceleration?

The SI unit for acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s^2). However, other common units include feet per second squared (ft/s^2) and kilometers per hour squared (km/h^2).

How does acceleration affect motion?

Acceleration can affect an object's motion in a number of ways. If an object is accelerating in the same direction as its velocity, it will speed up. If it is accelerating in the opposite direction, it will slow down. Acceleration can also cause a change in direction, such as when an object is moving in a circular path.

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