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A bike slows down from 35m/s to 15m/s in a distance of 112m. What was its acceleration, assumed constant?

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Final answer:

To calculate the acceleration of a bike which decreases its speed from 35 m/s to 15 m/s over 112 m, the kinematic equation is used, yielding an acceleration of approximately -4.46 m/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the acceleration of a bike that slows down from 35 m/s to 15 m/s over a distance of 112 m, with constant acceleration, we can use the kinematic equation:


v2 = u2 + 2as

Where:

  • v is the final velocity (15 m/s),
  • u is the initial velocity (35 m/s),
  • a is the acceleration,
  • s is the distance (112 m).

Plugging in the values and solving for a yields:


(15 m/s)2 = (35 m/s)2 + 2a(112 m)

225 m2/s2 = 1225 m2/s2 + 224a m2/s2

-1000 m2/s2 = 224a m2/s2

a = -1000 / 224 m/s2

a ≈ -4.46 m/s2 (negative indicates deceleration)

The bike's acceleration was approximately -4.46 m/s2.

User Francesco Meli
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