Question

A car rolls toward a cliff with an initial speed of 15 m/s. The maximum

acceleration the brakes can provide is 0.3 m/s/s. If the brakes are first
applied 350 m from the edge of the cliff, does the driver survive or
plummet to his/her doom?

Answer 1

Using the equation for stopping distance, the car would require 375 m to stop, which exceeds the 350 m distance to the cliff, meaning the driver would not survive.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine whether the driver survives or plummets, we need to calculate the stopping distance given the car's initial speed and the maximum deceleration due to braking. We'll use the kinematic equation:

s = vot + (1/2)at2

Since the car is eventually coming to a stop, the final velocity v is 0 m/s. Using the equation:

0 = (15 m/s)2 / (2 * 0.3 m/s2), we can solve for the stopping distance s.

After calculations, we find that s = 375 m, which is greater than the distance to the cliff (350 m). Therefore, the driver will not be able to stop before the cliff, indicating the driver would plummet to his/her doom.