ICER

Velocity times momentum does or does not equal acceleration?

please explain why.

__________________
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One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers and threats to society.
The other is for housing prisoners.
~~David Letterman

ratbastid

Velocity times momentum only equals accelleration in the film The Ice Princess.

Accelleration is delta-v, change in velocity. It's expressed as a force, distance over time over time. Gravity, for instance, accellerates bodies at 9.81 meters per second per second, or 9.81 m/s^2.

BadNick

Maybe I'm missing something since it seems straightforward:
mom = mass X vel
vel X mom = mass X vel2 ....vel2 = velocity squared
acc = vel/time
"obviously" (vel/time) does not equal (mass X vel2)

ICER

OK here's I read it....
Velocity (speed imparted to something) + Momentum (strength or force gained by motion or through the development of events) = acceleration (rate of change of velocity with respect to time)

Now, if your a skater moveing along the ice (Velocity) and you do an action (Momentum) = you gain speed (acceleration)

Am I reading it wrong? or am I writing to much into the equation?

__________________
What's the difference between congress and a penitentiary?
One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers and threats to society.
The other is for housing prisoners.
~~David Letterman

Pip

Momentum is just mass times velocity. It means it will hurt much more getting hit by a heavy guy running into you than by a tiny guy even though they run at the same speed, because the bigger guy has greater momentum. I think you might be looking for F=m*a, where F is the force, or "action" in your case, the action of pushing off against the ice or something. And the heavier you are, the harder you must push to get the same acceleration.

stingc

I don't know what you're talking about, ICER. The units aren't even correct. Maybe you're looking for dp/dt=ma?

KnifeMissile

It looks like you're trying to intuit the situation without even the vaguest understanding of it. As stingc has pointed out, the dimensions (or units) aren't even correct.

So, to answer your question (in case it's not clear, already), no. Velocity times momentum does not equal acceleration.

The derivative of momentum with respect to time divided by mass equals acceleration. Does this clear things up?

ICER

Completely, thank you KnifeMissile. and just for the record I do have a vague understanding of the problem, but just enough to be dangerous.

Thanks for the help folks.

__________________
What's the difference between congress and a penitentiary?
One is filled with tax evaders, blackmailers and threats to society.
The other is for housing prisoners.
~~David Letterman