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

2458 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

How does an object in circular motion experience acceleration when it is going at a constant speed?


What is the optimum angle to throw a snowball for maximum horizontal displacement? (Ignore air resistance, assume the snowball is thrown level with the ground. The angle is measured from the ground up)


What is the angular speed of a car wheel of diameter 0.400m when the speed of the car is 108km/h?


Explain the process of annihilation?


We're here to help

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

© MyTutorWeb Ltd 2013–2024

Terms & Conditions|Privacy Policy
Cookie Preferences