Question

It is estimated that a driver takes, on average, 1.5 seconds from seeing an obstacle to reacting by applying the brake or swerving. How far will a car traveling at 60 miles per hour travel (in feet) before the driver reacts to an obstacle?

Answer 1

A car traveling at 60 miles per hour will cover a distance of 132 feet during the 1.5-second reaction time before the driver can react to an obstacle.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine how far a car traveling at 60 miles per hour will travel before the driver reacts to an obstacle, we can use the concept of reaction distance. The reaction distance is the distance a vehicle covers during the driver's reaction time, which in this case is 1.5 seconds. First, we need to convert the speed to feet per second because the question asks for the answer in feet.

Since 1 mile is equal to 5280 feet, and there are 3600 seconds in an hour, we can calculate the speed in feet per second (fps) as follows:

• Speed in fps = (60 miles per hour) × (5280 feet per mile) / (3600 seconds per hour)
• Speed in fps = 88 fps

Next, we calculate the distance traveled during the reaction time:

• Distance traveled during reaction time = Speed × Reaction Time
• Distance traveled during reaction time = 88 fps × 1.5 seconds
• Distance traveled during reaction time = 132 feet

Therefore, a car traveling at 60 miles per hour will travel 132 feet before the driver reacts to an obstacle.

Answer 2

The car was 132 feet far before the driver reacts to an obstacle.

Step-by-step explanation:

Given,

The speed of car = 60 miles per hour,

Also, time taken by the car to reacting the obstacle = 1.5 seconds =
`(1.5)/(3600)=(1)/(2400)\text{ hours}`,

( 1 hour = 3600 seconds )

We know that,

Distance = Speed × Time,

Hence, the distance of car from the obstacle before reacting the obstacle

`= 60* (1)/(2400)`

`=(60)/(2400)`

`=(1)/(40)\text{ miles}`

Since, 1 mile = 5280 feet

`\implies (1)/(40)\text{ miles }=(5280)/(40)=132\text{ feet}`

Therefore, the car would 132 feet far from the obstacle.