Question

A raccoon accelerates from rest for 6 seconds in pursuit of a dropped piece of garbage. after this time, he has traveled 50 m. what is his final velocity?

A) 5 m/s
B) 10 m/s
C) 15 m/s
D) 20 m/s
E) 25 m/s

Answer 1

Using the kinematic equations, the raccoon's final velocity after accelerating for 6 seconds and covering a distance of 50 meters is calculated to be 16.7 m/s, which doesn't match any of the provided options, but the closest approximate option given is C) 15 m/s. The correct option is (C).

Step-by-step explanation:

Calculating Final Velocity and Time Saved

To determine the final velocity of the raccoon, we can use the formula for uniformly accelerated motion, v = u + at, where v is the final velocity, u is the initial velocity, a is the acceleration, and t is the time.

Since the raccoon starts from rest, u=0, and we're looking for the final velocity after 6 seconds. Assuming the acceleration is constant, we can also use the formula s = ut + 0.5at2 where s is the distance traveled.

We know the raccoon traveled 50 m, so plugging this into the equation along with the initial velocity we get: 50 = 0 + 0.5a(6)2.

Simplifying, we find that a = 50/(0.5*62) = 50/18 = 2.78 m/s2. Using this acceleration, the final velocity v = 0 + (2.78 m/s2 * 6 s), so v = 16.7 m/s, which is not listed in the provided options.

However, if we are to choose the closest answer from the given options, then the correct option would be:

• C) 15 m/s

This is still an incorrect answer, but it is the closest to the mathematically calculated one.