SECTION 2.

3
ACCELERATION-VELOCITY MODELS
This section consists of three essentially independent subsections that can be studied separately:
resistance proportional to velocity, resistance proportional to velocity-squared, and inverse-square
gravitational acceleration.
1.

Equation:

v' = k(250 v), v(0) = 0, v(10) = 100

Solution:

(1) dv = k dt ;

250 v

ln(250 v) = kt + ln C ,

v(0) = 0 implies C = 250;

v(t ) = 250(1 e kt )

v(10) =100 implies k = 101 ln(250 /150) 0.0511;

3.

Answer:

v = 200 when t = (ln 50 / 250) / k 31.5 sec

Equation:

v = kv, v(0) = 40; v(10) = 20

Solution:

v(t) = 40 ek t with k = (1/10)ln 2

x = v, x(0) = 0

x(t) = (40/k)(1 ek t)

5.

Answer:

x() = lim (40 / k )(1 e k t ) = 40/k = 400/ln 2 577 ft

Equation:

v = kv, v(0) = 40; v(10) = 20

Solution:

v =

x = v, x(0) = 0

40
(as in Problem 3)
1 + 40kt

v(10) = 20 implies 40k = 1/10, so v(t ) =

400
10 + t

x(t) = 400 ln[(10 + t)/10]

7.

Answer:

x(60) = 400 ln 7 778 ft

Equation:

v = 10 0.1 v,

(a)

0.1 dv
=

10 0.1 v

x(0) = v(0) = 0

(0.1) dt;

v(0) = 0 implies C = 10;

v(t ) = 100(1 e t /10 ) ;

ln(10 0.1v ) = t /10 + ln C

ln [(10 0.1 v) /10] = t /10

v() = 100 ft/sec (limiting velocity)

x(t ) = 100 t 1000 (1 e t /10 )

(b)

v = 90 ft/sec when t = 23.0259 sec and x = 1402.59 ft

9.

The solution of the initial value problem

1000 v' = 5000 100 v,
is

v(0) = 0

v(t) = 50(1 et /10).

Hence, as t , we see that v(t) approaches vmax = 50 ft/sec 34 mph.

11.

If the paratroopers terminal velocity was 100 mph = 440/3 ft/sec, then Equation (7) in
the text yields = 12/55. Then we find by solving Equation (9) numerically with
y0 = 1200 and v0 = 0 that y = 0 when t 12.5 sec. Thus the newspaper account is
inaccurate.

Given the hints and integrals provided in the text, Problems 13-16 are fairly straightforward (and
fairly tedious) integration problems.
17.

To solve the initial value problem v = 9.8 0.0011 v 2 ,

v(0) = 49 we write

0.010595 dv
= 0.103827 dt
2

1 + (0.010595 v )

dv

= dt ;

2
9.8 + 0.0011 v

tan 1 (0.010595 v) = 0.103827 t + C ;

v(0) = 49 implies C = 0.478854

v(t ) = 94.3841 tan(0.478854 0.103827 t )

Integration with y(0) = 0 gives
y (t ) = 108.468 + 909.052 ln(cos(0.478854 0.103827 t )) .
We solve v(0) = 0 for t = 4.612, and then calculate y(4.612) = 108.468.
19.

Equation:

v = 4 (1/ 400)v 2 ,

Solution:

dv

2
4 (1/ 400)v

tanh 1 (v / 40) = t /10 + C ;

Answer:

v(0) = 0

dt;

C = 0;

v(10) 30.46 ft/sec,

1
(1/ 40) dv
=
dt

2
10
1 (v / 40)

v(t ) = 40 tanh(t /10)

v() = 40 ft/sec

21.

Equation:

v = g v 2 ,

Solution:

dv
= dt ;

2
g+v

tan 1

= g dt ;

v(0) = v0 implies C = tan 1

/ g v0

g
tan t g tan 1 v0

tan 1 v0
and substitute in Eq. (17) for y(t):

g
g

1
1
1 cos tan v0 / g tan v0 / g
= ln

cos tan 1 v0 / g

23.

We solve v(t) = 0 for t =

ymax

y (0) = 0

/ g dv

1+ / g v

/ g v = g t + C;
v (t ) =

ymax

v(0) = v0 ,

( (

1
ln sec tan 1 v0 / g

))

v2
1
ln 1 + 0

v02
1
ln 1 +
=

2
g

Before opening parachute:

v = 32 + 0.00075 v 2 , v(0) = 0, y (0) = 10000
v(t ) = 206.559 tanh(0.154919 t ) v(30) = 206.521 ft/sec
y (t ) = 10000 1333.33 ln(cosh(0.154919 t )), y (30) = 4727.30 ft
After opening parachute:
v = 32 + 0.075 v 2 , v(0) = 206.521, y (0) = 4727.30
v(t ) = 20.6559 tanh(1.54919 t + 0.00519595)
y (t ) = 4727.30 13.3333ln(cosh(1.54919 t + 0.00519595))
y = 0 when t = 229.304
Thus she opens her parachute after 30 sec at a height of 4727 feet, and the total
time of descent is 30 + 229.304 = 259.304 sec, about 4 minutes and 19.3 seconds.

25.

We get the desired formula when we set v = 0 in Eq. (23) and solve for r.

27.

Integration of v

dv
GM
=
, y (0) = 0, v(0) = v0 gives
dy
( y + R)2
1 2
GM GM 1 2
v =

+ v0
2
y+R
R
2

which simplifies to the desired formula for v2. Then substitution of

G = 6.6726 1011 , M = 5.975 1024 kg, R = 6.378 106 m , v = 0, and v0 = 1
yields an equation that we easily solve for y = 51427.3, that is, about 51.427 km.