blackbrandt
That Darn College Student
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2012
- Messages
- 9,281
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OK, I have about reached the end of my wits. But there's a ton of smart people on here... so I figured I should ask here.
I'm taking AP Physics. We just did a lab in which we rolled a ball down a ramp and timed it to determine its velocity.
Anyway, if you calculate distance traveled/time, you should get velocity, right?
According to our book, that is wrong. It says that velocity=(2*distance)/time. Which doesn't make sense. That would mean if I am traveling 60 miles an hour, I only go 30 miles every hour (which is about the biggest contradiction I've ever heard).
Does anyone have any thoughts about this? At first I thought it was a typo but then the teacher says this in the lab handout:
Question 1. If velocity is calculated distance/time, why are you being asked to calculate it using 2 times distance/time?
Which doesn't make sense....
Please help me retain my mental sanity.
I'm taking AP Physics. We just did a lab in which we rolled a ball down a ramp and timed it to determine its velocity.
Anyway, if you calculate distance traveled/time, you should get velocity, right?
According to our book, that is wrong. It says that velocity=(2*distance)/time. Which doesn't make sense. That would mean if I am traveling 60 miles an hour, I only go 30 miles every hour (which is about the biggest contradiction I've ever heard).
Does anyone have any thoughts about this? At first I thought it was a typo but then the teacher says this in the lab handout:
Question 1. If velocity is calculated distance/time, why are you being asked to calculate it using 2 times distance/time?
Which doesn't make sense....
Please help me retain my mental sanity.