Question

Brenda is driving a car going 25 m/s suddenly sees the lights of an intersection 40.0 m ahead. It takes her 0.65 s before she applies the brakes. Once she does begin to brake, her acceleration is at a rate of -25.0 m/s². Calculate distance traveled before hitting the brakes.

a) 40.0 m
b) 55.0 m
c) 25.0 m
d) 16.25 m

Answer 1

Before hitting the brakes, Brenda's car travels a distance of 16.25 meters while moving at a speed of 25 m/s for a reaction time of 0.65 seconds.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks us to calculate the distance traveled by Brenda's car before hitting the brakes. To find this distance, we use the formula for distance related to speed and time without acceleration, which is:

distance = speed × time

Brenda's car is moving at 25 m/s, and it takes her 0.65 seconds before she reacts and applies the brakes. Thus, the distance she travels before braking can be calculated as follows:

• • distance = 25 m/s × 0.65 s
  • distance = 16.25 m

Therefore, the correct answer to the question is (d) 16.25 m.