Final answer:
The energy transferred to the engine by burning gasoline to accelerate a 1700 kg car from rest to 11 m/s, with a 40% efficient engine, is 257.125 kilojoules.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves calculating the energy transfer in a car engine based on its efficiency and the kinetic energy gained by the car as it accelerates.
First, we need to find the kinetic energy acquired by the car using the formula KE = 0.5 * m * v2, where 'm' is the mass of the car and 'v' is the final velocity. For a 1700 kg car accelerating to 11 m/s, the kinetic energy (KE) will be 0.5 * 1700 kg * (11 m/s)2 = 102850 J or 102.85 kJ. Given the engine's efficiency is 40%, the total energy transferred from the gasoline, which we will call Etotal, can be calculated using the equation Etotal = KE / efficiency.
Plugging in our values gives us Etotal = 102.85 kJ / 0.4, which equals 257.125 kJ. Since energy should often be expressed in kilojoules, the energy transferred to the engine by burning gasoline is 257.125 kJ.