Re: little gee and its sign

[Rick Tarara <rtarara@SAINTMARYS.EDU>]

It's the fact that these problems have to assume a constant acceleration
when real cars, real brakes, etc. have reasonably complex acceleration
functions that is 'unrealistic'.  I agree that such problems are of interest
to students--we just have been doing some 'yellow' light problems and will
be doing some air bag problems as well.  I suppose the approximations don't
really bother the students much (if at all), but I can also see why
textbooks contain a lot of free-fall and trajectory problems.

Rick

----- Original Message -----
From: "Larry Woolf" <larry.woolf@GAT.COM>

> There are a host of good problems that can be developed that center around
> the acceleration and braking distances of cars, such as braking times,
> yellow light duration of traffic lights, the effect of drunk driving on
> braking distances, highway entrance ramp distances, etc. These are
relevant
> to most students.  I am developing/have developed (still a work in
progress)
> a mechanics unit using these topics.