Question

If a car goes along a straight road heading east and speeds up from 45 ft/s to 60 ft/s in 5 s, calculate the acceleration.

Answer 1

The car's acceleration is calculated using the formula a = Δv / t, where Δv is the change in velocity and t is the time taken. The acceleration of the car is found to be 3 ft/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

Calculating Acceleration

To find the acceleration of the car, we use the formula for acceleration (a), which is the change in velocity (Δv) divided by the time (t) it takes for that change to occur. Here, the initial velocity (vi) is 45 ft/s and the final velocity (vf) is 60 ft/s. The time taken for this change is 5 seconds.

Acceleration formula: a = Δv / t

Step 1: Calculate the change in velocity, Δv = vf - vi = 60 ft/s - 45 ft/s = 15 ft/s.

Step 2: Calculate the acceleration, a = Δv / t = 15 ft/s / 5 s = 3 ft/s².

Therefore, the car accelerates at an average rate of 3 ft/s².

Answer 2

acceleration = change in velocity/ time = (final velocity - initial velocity)/time

accel = (60ft/s - 45ft/s)/5s = 3 ft/s