Question

A cyclist named Carly Daugherty accelerates from 0 m/s to 8 m/s in 3 seconds. What is her acceleration? Is this acceleration higher than that of Soul Train’s car, which accelerates from 0 to 30 m/s in 8 seconds? How do you know

Answer 1

Magnitude of acceleration =

(change in speed) / (time for the change) .

Magnitude of Carly's acceleration =

(8 m/s) / (3 sec) = 2-2/3 m/s²

Magnitude of Soul Train's acceleration =

(30 m/s) / (8 sec) = 3.75 m/s² .

Soul Train's acceleration is about 41% greater than Carly's.