Chapter 4: Problem 72
An object is moving in the \(x-y\) plane with the position as a function of time given by \(\vec{r}=x(t) \hat{i}+y(t) \hat{j}\). Point \(O\) is at \(x\) \(=0, y=0\). The object is definitely moving towards \(O\) when (1) \(v_{x}>0, v_{y}>0\) (2) \(v_{x}<0, v_{y}<0\) (3) \(x v_{x}+y v_{y}<0\) (4) \(x v_{x}+y v_{y}>0\)
Short Answer
Step by step solution
Understand Object's Movement
Identify the Velocity Vector
Determine Dot Product
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Kinematics
- **Position** defines the specific point in space where the object is located relative to a reference point, usually defined as the origin.
- **Velocity** is the rate of change of position with respect to time, showing how fast and in what direction an object is moving.
- **Acceleration** is the rate of change of velocity with time, indicating how an object's velocity changes.
Position Vector
- In a two-dimensional space, it’s typically expressed as \(\vec{r} = x(t) \hat{i} + y(t) \hat{j}\) where \(x(t)\) and \(y(t)\) are functions of time, representing the coordinates of the object in the x-y plane.
- The position vector provides information not only about the distance of the object from the origin, but also its specific location in relation to the coordinate system.
Velocity Vector
- Mathematically, the velocity vector \(\vec{v}\) is the derivative of the position vector \(\vec{r}\) with respect to time: \(\vec{v} = \frac{d}{dt}(x(t) \hat{i} + y(t) \hat{j}) = v_x \hat{i} + v_y \hat{j}\).
- Here, \(v_x\) and \(v_y\) are the components of the velocity vector along the x and y axes, respectively, calculated as \(v_x = \frac{dx}{dt}\) and \(v_y = \frac{dy}{dt}\).
Dot Product
- The dot product between two vectors \(\vec{A}\) and \(\vec{B}\) is given by \(\vec{A} \cdot \vec{B} = A_x B_x + A_y B_y + A_z B_z\).
- A crucial aspect is that the dot product reflects the cosine of the angle between two vectors. Therefore, if \(x v_x + y v_y < 0\), it indicates that the angle between the position vector \(\vec{r}\) and velocity vector \(\vec{v}\) is greater than 90 degrees (obtuse), showing the motion towards the origin.