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!)

CI
Answered by Christopher I. Physics tutor

3279 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

The friction coefficient of Formula 1 car tyres are around 1.7 in dry weather. Assuming sufficient power from the engine, calculate the theoretical best 0-100 km/h acceleration time in seconds. (neglect downforce, g=9.81m/s^2)


What is EMF? How do we test for it?


Describe how emission spectra are formed and how they can be used to identify the elemental composition of a star.


Calculate the flight time of a ball moving in parabolic motion, with initial velocity 5.0m/s at angle 30 degrees from the horizontal travelling for 23 metres.


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning