Question

38. Dr. John Paul Stapp was a U.S. Air Force officer who studied the effects of extreme acceleration on the human body. On December 10, 1954, Stapp rode a rocket sled, accelerating from rest to a top speed of 282 m/s (1015 km/h) in 5.00 s and was brought jarringly back to rest in only 1.40 s. Calculate his (a) acceleration in his direction of motion and (b) acceleration opposite to his direction of motion. Express each in multiples of g (9.80 m/s2) by taking its ratio to the acceleration of gravity.

Answer 1

a) acceleration = 5.75 g

b) acceleration = -20.5 g

Step-by-step explanation:

Hi there!

The acceleration is the variation of the speed over time:

a (acceleration) = (final speed - initial speed) / time

a) The acceleration in the direction of the motion of Dr. Stapp is:

a = (282 m/s - 0 m/s) / 5.00 s = 56.4 m/s² * (1 g / 9.80 m/s² ) = 5.75 g

b) The acceleration opposite the direction of the motion of Dr. Stapp is:

a = (0 m/s - 282 m/s) / 1.40 s = -201 m/s² * (1 g / 9.80 m/s² ) = -20.5 g