In the equation for displacement under constant acceleration, how does the displacement depend on elapsed time when the acceleration is not zero?
AIt depends on the elapsed time only
BIt depends on the square of the elapsed time
CIt depends on the square root of that time
DIt becomes independent of the elapsed time
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. It depends on the square of the elapsed time
1. Displacement equals initial velocity times time plus half the acceleration times time squared.
2. The second term carries the time squared, so it dominates as the motion continues.
3. Displacement therefore depends on the square of the elapsed time when the acceleration is not zero.
4. A dragster covers only one fourth of the total distance in the first half of the elapsed time.
5. A plain proportionality to time holds only when the acceleration is zero.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics (CC BY 4.0), Ch 2 "Kinematics", section 2.5 Motion Equations for Constant Acceleration in One Dimension_
Related questions
Measuring time at all depends on the fact that:An airplane passenger moving 4 metres toward the rear of the plane has a displacement recoA cyclist rides 3 km west then turns and rides 2 km east. The magnitude of the displacemenA scalar such as temperature can be negative, and there the minus sign indicates:An object with negative acceleration whose acceleration points the same way as its motion Deceleration is best defined as acceleration that is:An acceleration of 8.33 metres per second squared due west means the velocity changes by:The SI unit of acceleration is metres per second per second because acceleration is: