Question

A car moving along a straight stretch of highway begins to accelerate at 0.0113 meters per second squared. It takes the car 37.3 seconds to cover 1 km. How fast was the car going when it first began to accelerate?

a) 23.76 m/s
b) 13.79 m/s
c) 10.23 m/s
d) 9.83 m/s

Answer 1

The initial velocity of the car when it begins to accelerate is approximately -0.4217 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the initial velocity of the car when it begins to accelerate, we can use the equation:

v = u + at

Where v is the final velocity, u is the initial velocity, a is the acceleration, and t is the time. We know that the acceleration is 0.0113 m/s² and the time is 37.3 seconds. Since the car is starting from rest, the final velocity is 0 m/s. Substituting these values into the equation, we can solve for u:

0 = u + (0.0113)(37.3)

u = -0.4217 m/s

Therefore, the car was initially going in the opposite direction at a speed of approximately 0.4217 m/s. Answer choice d) 9.83 m/s is incorrect.