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Two automobiles travel in opposite directions from

the same starting point. If the speed of one is twice the speed of the other and they are 160.0km apart at the end of 3.0h,what is the speed of the slower car (in m/s)?

1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

The speed of the slower car is 4.93827160 m/s after calculating the total distance covered by both cars in 3 hours and converting km/h to m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve this problem, we first need to establish the relationship between the speeds of the two cars and the total distance covered in 3 hours. Let's suppose the speed of the slower car is v km/h. Therefore, the speed of the faster car will be 2v km/h. Since they are traveling in opposite directions, after 3 hours, they will be 3v + 3(2v) = 160 km apart. Simplifying this, we get 9v = 160 km.

Dividing both sides by 9 to solve for v, we get v = 160 / 9 km/h. To convert this speed into m/s, we use the conversion factor 1 km/h = 1/3.6 m/s. Therefore, v = (160 / 9) / 3.6 m/s.

After performing the calculations, we find that the speed of the slower car is 4.93827160 m/s.

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