An object's two dimensional velocity is given by v(t) = ( t^3, t-t^2sin(pi/8)t)v(t)=(t3,tt2sin(π8)t). What is the object's rate and direction of acceleration at t=4 t=4?

1 Answer
Jul 10, 2017

a = 48.0a=48.0 "m/s"^2m/s2

theta = 1.19^"o"θ=1.19o

Explanation:

We're asked to find the object's acceleration (magnitude and direction) given its velocity equation.

We need to find the object's acceleration as a function of time, by differentiating the velocity component equations:

a_x = d/(dt) [t^3] = 3t^2ax=ddt[t3]=3t2

a_y = d/(dt) [t - t^2 sin((pi/8)t)] = 1 - 2t^2cos((pi/8)t)ay=ddt[tt2sin((π8)t)]=12t2cos((π8)t)

Note: I changed the yy-velocity equation SLIGHLTY by moving the final tt inside the sine function, because (1) otherwise it could have said t - t^3sin(pi/8)tt3sin(π8) and (2) this is how I've always seen these equations.

How that we know the acceleration components as functions of time, let's plug in t = 4t=4 "s"s to find the components at that time:

a_x (4) = 3(4)^2 = 48ax(4)=3(4)2=48 "m/s"^2m/s2

a_y = 1 - 2(4)^2cos((pi/8)(4)) = 1ay=12(4)2cos((π8)(4))=1 "m/s"^2m/s2 (cosine of pi/2π2 is 00)

The magnitude of the acceleration is thus

a = sqrt((48color(white)(l)"m/s"^2)^2 + (1color(white)(l)"m/s"^2)^2) = color(red)(48.0a=(48lm/s2)2+(1lm/s2)2=48.0 color(red)("m/s"^2m/s2

And the direction is

theta = arctan((1cancel("m/s"^2))/(48cancel("m/s"^2))) = color(blue)(1.19^"o"