Final answer:
The Chevy, traveling faster than the Ford, will catch up in 40 seconds, covering a distance of 800 meters.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves calculating the time and distance required for a Chevy to catch up to a Ford car. This is a problem that can be solved using concepts from kinematics, which is a branch of physics. When dealing with two objects moving in the same direction, you can use the relative velocity between the two to determine how quickly one object will catch up to the other.
The Ford is traveling at 15 m/s, and the Chevy is traveling at a higher speed of 20 m/s. Since the Chevy is moving faster, it will eventually catch up to the Ford. To determine the distance the Chevy will travel before catching up, we can use the relative speed between the two cars which is the difference in their speeds (20 m/s - 15 m/s = 5 m/s). Using the relative speed, we can then calculate the time it takes for the Chevy to close the initial 200 meter gap. Time = distance/speed, so it will take the Chevy 40 seconds to catch up (200 m / 5 m/s = 40 s). Now, to find the distance traveled by the Chevy in this time, we multiply its speed by the time is has taken to catch up, which equals 800 meters (20 m/s x 40 s).