Question

You're driving home from the grocery store at 17 m/s with a 7.0 kg bag of groceries on the front seat when the light ahead turns red. What is the shortest distance in which you can stop, after the brakes are applied, without the groceries sliding off the seat?

Answer 1

This physics problem involves calculating the stopping distance of a car to prevent the groceries from sliding off the seat using the initial velocity, coefficient of friction, and deceleration equations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question involves calculating the stopping distance of a car to avoid an object on the road, factoring in the reaction time and the physics of deceleration. This falls under the subject of Physics, specifically topics related to mechanics and motion. To solve for the stopping distance, you would use the formula for deceleration (kinetic friction) along with the initial velocity given (17 m/s for the car), and the coefficient of static friction, which determines whether the groceries will slide off the seat or not.

The relevant equation for stopping distance, d, given an initial velocity, v, and a constant deceleration, a, is d = v2 / (2a), where a is derived from the coefficient of friction, μ, and the acceleration due to gravity, g, as a = μ * g. The calculation of the force exerted by a seat belt, or the pre-collision velocity of a truck, are similar applications of the principles of momentum and Newton's second law.