- #1
holly
- 184
- 0
Can't Understand t**2
I hope I won't get blasted for asking for help on something everyone else in my introductory physics class can grasp: I cannot understand, in my heart, the d=1/2gt**2 formula when determining the distance a ball in free-fall travels in x seconds with the 1/2 g being 4.9. I recognize when to use it. I can parrot it. But I just can't grasp why the time is being squared, tho' I know that gives the right answer. It seems to me that a second is a second. I'm not able to get more seconds out of a second! The idea of meters per second I can grasp. But the idea of squaring the SECONDS I just can't get. I'm just a lowly sonography student taking physics. Any help on grasping why we're squaring time would be appreciated. I have tried and tried to figure it out.
I hope I won't get blasted for asking for help on something everyone else in my introductory physics class can grasp: I cannot understand, in my heart, the d=1/2gt**2 formula when determining the distance a ball in free-fall travels in x seconds with the 1/2 g being 4.9. I recognize when to use it. I can parrot it. But I just can't grasp why the time is being squared, tho' I know that gives the right answer. It seems to me that a second is a second. I'm not able to get more seconds out of a second! The idea of meters per second I can grasp. But the idea of squaring the SECONDS I just can't get. I'm just a lowly sonography student taking physics. Any help on grasping why we're squaring time would be appreciated. I have tried and tried to figure it out.