Question

It was once recorded that a Corvette left skid marks that were 38 m in length. Assuming that the Corvette skidded to a stop with a constant acceleration of 19 m/s 2from the brakes due to friction, determine the starting speed of the Corvette before it began to skid.

Answer 1

The starting speed of the Corvette before it began to skid was approximately 26.9 m/s in the opposite direction of the skid marks.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the starting speed of the Corvette before it began to skid, we can use the following kinematic equations:

v^2 = u^2 + 2as

Here, v is the final velocity (0 m/s since the car comes to a stop), u is the initial velocity (what we're looking for), a is the acceleration (-19 m/s^2 since it's decelerating), and s is the distance (38 m).

Plugging in the values, we get:

0 = u^2 + 2(-19)(38)

0 = u^2 - 722

Solving for u, the initial velocity:

u = −√722 ≈ − 26.9 m/s

The starting speed of the Corvette before it began to skid was approximately 26.9 m/s. Note that the negative sign indicates that the car was moving in the opposite direction of the skid marks.