163k views
2 votes
Suppose a car is moving in a straight line and steadily increases its velocity (or speed). It moves from 30 km/h to 45 km/h in 3 seconds.What is the car's acceleration?

User Satyan
by
7.8k points

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

The car's acceleration is calculated by converting the initial and final velocities from km/h to m/s and then applying the acceleration formula a = (vf - vi) / t, which gives an acceleration of 1.39 m/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the car's acceleration, we need to first convert the speeds from km/h to m/s. The initial speed is 30 km/h, which is equal to 30 * (1000/3600) m/s or approximately 8.33 m/s. The final speed is 45 km/h, which is equal to 45 * (1000/3600) m/s or approximately 12.5 m/s. The time taken for this change in speed is 3 seconds.

Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity with time. So, to find acceleration, we use the formula:

a = (vf - vi) / t

Where:

  • vf is the final velocity,
  • vi is the initial velocity, and
  • t is the time interval.

Substituting the known values, we have:

a = (12.5 m/s - 8.33 m/s) / 3 s

a = 4.17 m/s / 3 s

a = 1.39 m/s²

Therefore, the car's acceleration is 1.39 meters per second squared (m/s²).

User Vishnu M Menon
by
7.9k points