Re: positive and negative work

[John Mallinckrodt <ajmallinckro@CSUPOMONA.EDU>]

On Fri, 9 Nov 2001, Ludwik Kowalski wrote:

> A good place to begin is to show that g=-9.8 when the y axis
> is pointing up but g=+9.8 when the y axis is pointing down.
> I am referring to kinematics of falling objects.

Nitpick Alert (but *not* IMO a minor one)

As I say over and over to students who make statements like this
until they are cured of the disease, "g can't possibly equal 9.8
because 9.8 is a number and g is not."

John Mallinckrodt      mailto:ajm@csupomona.edu
Cal Poly Pomona          http://www.csupomona.edu/~ajm