All Questions
Tagged with calculus newtonian-mechanics
7
questions
24
votes
7
answers
12k
views
Zero velocity, zero acceleration?
In one dimension, the acceleration of a particle can be written as:
$$a = \frac{dv}{dt} = \frac{dv}{dx} \frac{dx}{dt} = v \frac{dv}{dx}$$
Does this equation imply that if:
$$v = 0$$
Then,
$$\...
- 383
9
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Is Newton's first law something real or a mathematical formalism?
Why do objects always 'tend' to move in straight lines? How come, everytime I see a curved path that an object takes, I can always say that the object tends to move in a straight line over 'small' ...
- 309
-1
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Question about the use of integration in physics
I've always thought of integration as a way to solve differential questions. I'd solve physics problems involving calculus by finding the change in the function $df(x) $when I increment the ...
- 1,096
26
votes
14
answers
4k
views
Explaining how we cannot account for changing acceleration questions without calculus
For context, I am a high school physics teacher.
I am teaching students about the basics of electromagnetic force between two point charges. The equation we use is $F=\frac{kq_1q_2}{r^2}$.
This gives ...
11
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Does the logarithm of a non-dimensionless quantity make any sense?
A train consists of an engine and $n$ trucks. It is travelling along a straight horizontal section of track. The mass of the engine and of each truck is $M$. The resistance to motion of the engine and ...
- 1,047
1
vote
2
answers
144
views
Why can I assume the force to be constant in this particular interval?
If I have force, or any function $f(z)$, I was told that I can assume it to be constant only in the interval $dz$.
However, in this case, I had to calculate the work done by the spring force as a ...
- 1,096
0
votes
2
answers
182
views
How can we treat dV like this?
Now, to calculate the gravitational potential due to a ring(or any object for that matter) at a distance $r$ we consider a tiny mass $dm$ on the ring, and calculate the potential $dV$ due to this ...
- 1,096