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23 votes
23 votes
8. Find the thinking distance if you are going 40 mph and it takes you 2 secondsto respond.

User Charles Cavalcante
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1 Answer

20 votes
20 votes

The thinking distance is the distance travelled after you notice some danger and you apply the brakes. To get it we have to remember that the distance is given by:


d=vt

where v is the speed and t is the time. Before we can use this formula we need to convert the velocity from mph to mps, let's do this:


40(mi)/(h)\cdot(1h)/(3600s)=(1)/(90)mps

This means that we travel 1/90 mps; now that we have this we use the formula for the distance:


d=((1)/(90))(2)=(1)/(45)=0.022

Therefore, the thinking distance is 0.022 miles.

User Joseph Ravenwolfe
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