Final answer:
The car's average acceleration is -4 m/s²
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the average acceleration, we can use the formula:
average acceleration = change in velocity / time taken
Given that the car accelerates from 81 m/s to 61 m/s in 5 seconds, the change in velocity is:
change in velocity = final velocity - initial velocity = 61 m/s - 81 m/s = -20 m/s
Plugging in the values into the formula, we get:
average acceleration = -20 m/s / 5 s = -4 m/s²