College Physics (4th Edition)

Published by McGraw-Hill Education
ISBN 10: 0073512141
ISBN 13: 978-0-07351-214-3

Chapter 1 - Section 1.6 - Dimensional Analysis - Practice Problem - Page 11: 1.8

Answer

The left side and the right side of the equation do not have the same dimensions so the equation is incorrect. It seems that the correct equation should be $d = \frac{1}{2}at^2$

Work Step by Step

$d = \frac{1}{2}at$ We can use dimensional analysis to check this equation. The dimensions of the left side of the equation are [L]. The dimensions of the right side of the equation are $\frac{[L]}{[T^2]}\times [T] = \frac{[L]}{[T]}$ The left side and the right side of the equation do not have the same dimensions so the equation is incorrect. It seems that the correct equation should be $d = \frac{1}{2}at^2$
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