Average force obtained from the impulse or from the mechanical work?

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a simple relationship between the average values of the force obtained from the mechanical impulse theorem and the mechanical work-energy theorem. It is an example proposed to the students with the purpose they do not erroneously apply formulas that automatically they are proned to apply to solve a problem making use of the preconception that all motion is uniformly accelerated. The solution to the problem is simple and allows addressing the interconnection between two fundamental theorems of classical mechanics that usually is hidden in the textbooks. We have simplified the problem to one dimension to make it more didactic, being its generalization to three dimensions inmediate.