Could you please check my answers and help me out with the last two? Thanxs!
1.Carefully define the following words: distance, displacement, speed, velocity, acceleration. Does it make a difference if we designate distance as "x" or "d"? (I don't understand this question)
2.What is the difference between “inertial mass” as in F=ma, and “gravitational mass” as in F=mg? (This one I don't understand)
3. What is the difference between acceleration “a”, and the acceleration of gravity “g”?
The difference between acceleration “a” and the acceleration of gravity “g” is that acceleration “a” is the time rate of change in velocity, while the acceleration of gravity “g” is the acceleration due to gravity alone.
4.Is acceleration proportional to net force or does acceleration equal net force?
Acceleration is proportional to the net force because any change in one is the same amount of change in the other.
1. Look up the definitions. It makes no difference what symbol one chooses for displacement.
2. There is no difference. A given object has the same mass in both equations, whether computing acceleration or gravitional weight.
3. acceleration is a variable that can take on any value, which depends upon the applied force. g is the rate at which a falling body accelerates near the surface of the Earth.
4. F = m a
m is the mass, which is constant. Therefore, for a given mass m, force is proportional to acceleration.
For question 1:
To define the following words:
- Distance: It is the total length traveled by an object, regardless of its starting and ending points. Distance is a scalar quantity, which means it only has magnitude and no direction.
- Displacement: It is the change in position of an object, considering both the starting and ending points. Displacement is a vector quantity because it not only has magnitude but also direction.
- Speed: It is the measure of how quickly an object moves, calculated by dividing the distance traveled by the time taken. Speed is a scalar quantity as it only considers magnitude and not direction.
- Velocity: It is the measure of how quickly an object changes its position, taking both magnitude and direction into account. Velocity is a vector quantity since it has both magnitude and direction.
- Acceleration: It is the rate of change of velocity of an object over time. Acceleration is a vector quantity, as it represents both how much an object's velocity changes and the direction of that change.
Regarding the question about designating distance as "x" or "d," it does not make a significant difference. The choice of symbol to represent the distance is simply a matter of convention or personal preference.
For question 2:
The difference between "inertial mass" and "gravitational mass" lies in their definitions and application.
- Inertial Mass (m): It is a measure of how resistant an object is to changes in its velocity. According to Newton's second law of motion (F = ma), inertial mass determines how much force is needed to accelerate an object.
- Gravitational Mass (mg): It is a measure of how much gravitational force an object experiences. Gravitational mass determines the force exerted on an object due to gravity (F = mg).
Both inertial mass and gravitational mass refer to the mass of an object, but they have different physical meanings and uses in different contexts. In the context of Newton's second law of motion, these masses have the same value and relationship, but their names help distinguish their specific roles in different scenarios.
For question 3:
The difference between acceleration "a" and the acceleration of gravity "g" is as follows:
- Acceleration "a": It is the rate at which an object's velocity changes over time. The general symbol used to represent acceleration is "a," and it can be positive (indicating speeding up) or negative (indicating slowing down).
- Acceleration of Gravity "g": It specifically refers to the acceleration experienced by objects due to the force of gravity alone and near the surface of the Earth. The value of acceleration due to gravity is approximately 9.8 m/s², and it is directed vertically downwards.
While both "a" and "g" represent accelerations, the key distinction is that "a" refers to any change in an object's velocity, while "g" specifically signifies the acceleration caused by gravitational force near the surface of the Earth.
For question 4:
Acceleration is proportional to the net force acting on an object. According to Newton's second law of motion (F = ma), the acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force applied to it. If there is no net force acting on an object, its acceleration will be zero. Therefore, acceleration is not equal to net force, but rather it is dependent on it.