In some SUVAT questions, they ask for 2 time solutions and I can only find 1. What am I missing?

Let's say we are trying to work out how long it will take for a ball to be caught after it has been thrown straight upwards. If we set the final displacement to be zero (S=0) and solve S=UT+0.5AT2, it appears that we only get one value for T. However, there will always be a step in your workings when you can cancel a T from both sides of the equation, for example: 5T2 = 100T can be simplified to 5T = 100. In this step, we miss out a solution that T=0! This corresponds to when the ball is just about to be thrown so is still in our hands (hence we have a solution for zero displacement!)

Answered by Christopher I. Physics tutor

2707 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

Discuss the difference between sharpness and contrast in x-ray imaging


From what height, h, should a rail-cart fall to complete a loop-the-loop of radius r without falling off a the track? Assume the track on which the rail-cart travels is smooth and express h in terms of r.


Explaining how capacitors work


Explain the difference between forced vibration and resonance in an oscillating object.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact usWhatsapp logoMessage us on Whatsapptelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo
Cookie Preferences