Question

An AP Physics student is attempting an FRQ problem. They arrive at the following expression for the total distance an object has traveled:

d = 2vh/g


All you know about the variables in this problem are their dimensions:

[v] = distance/time, [h] = distance, and [g] = distance/time^2.

Given this information, explain why the student’s answer must be wrong.

Answer 1

The student's answer is wrong because the unit of his answer is meter - seconds which is not unit of distance (meter).

Total distance traveled by an object

The total distance traveled by an object projected upward is calculated from third equation of motion a shown below.

Equation for the motion of the object

v² = u² - 2gh

where;

• v is final velocity
• u is initial velocity
• g is acceleration due to gravity

at maximum height, the final velocity is zero, v = 0

0 = u² - 2gh

2gh = u²

h = u²/2g

The equation for the total distance an object has traveled during upward projection is "h = u²/2g".

Dimension of the student's answer;

d = (2vh)/g = (m/s x m) / (m/s²)  = (m²/s) / (m/s²) = m.s

Thus, the student's answer is wrong because the unit of his answer is meter - seconds which is not unit of distance (meter).

Learn more about distance here: https://brainly.com/question/2854969

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