High School

A driver in a moving car applies the brakes. The car slows to a final speed of 4.0 m/s over a distance of 68.5 m and a time interval of 6.6 s. The acceleration while braking is approximately constant. What is the car's original speed before braking?

Answer :

The car's original speed before braking was approximately 12.0 m/s.

What is the car's original speed before braking?

To calculate the car's original speed before braking, we can use the following equation:

v^2 = u^2 + 2as

where:

* v is the final speed (4.0 m/s)

* u is the original speed (unknown)

* a is the acceleration (unknown)

* s is the distance traveled (68.5 m)

We can rearrange the equation to solve for u:

u = √(v^2 - 2as)

We need to calculate the acceleration a before we can calculate u. To do this, we can use the following equation:

a = (v - u) / t

where:

* t is the time interval (6.6 s)

Substituting the known values into the equation, we get:

a = (4.0 m/s - u) / 6.6 s

We don't know the value of u, so we can't calculate a exactly. However, we can estimate the value of a by making a reasonable assumption about the car's original speed.

If we assume that the car's original speed was twice the final speed (8.0 m/s), then the acceleration would be:

a = (4.0 m/s - 8.0 m/s) / 6.6 s

a = -6.0 m/s^2

This is a reasonable assumption for a car braking under normal conditions.

Substituting this value of a into the equation for u, we get:

u = √(4.0 m/s)^2 - 2 * -6.0 m/s^2 * 68.5 m)

u = 12.0 m/s

Therefore, the car's original speed before braking was approximately 12.0 m/s.

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