Question

A freight train approaches a depot at 15.0 m/s and begins to slow down,

coming to a complete stop in 90 seconds. What was the acceleration of the
train?

Answer 1

Answer: The acceleration of the train is 0.1667 m/s^2.

Step-by-step explanation:

We can use the following kinematic equation to solve this problem:

v = u + at

where:

v is the final velocity (0 m/s, since the train comes to a complete stop)

u is the initial velocity (15.0 m/s)

a is the acceleration of the train (what we're trying to find)

t is the time it takes for the train to come to a stop (90 seconds)

We can rearrange this equation to solve for a:

a = (v - u) / t

Substituting the known values:

a = (0 m/s - 15.0 m/s) / 90 s

a = -0.1667 m/s^2

The negative sign indicates that the train is decelerating (slowing down), which makes sense given the problem statement. Therefore, the acceleration of the train is 0.1667 m/s^2.