Question

Suppose that a car traveling to the east begins to slow down as it approaches a traffic light.

a. The car's velocity increases
b. The car's acceleration is negative
c. The car's kinetic energy is constant
d. The car's mass decreases

Answer 1

As a car slows down, it experiences negative acceleration because the rate of change of velocity is negative. The car's kinetic energy decreases with the reduction in velocity, while its mass remains unaffected by its motion.

Step-by-step explanation:

When a car traveling to the east begins to slow down as it approaches a traffic light, the correct statement is that the car's acceleration is negative.

This is because the direction of the car's acceleration is opposite to the direction of its motion to the east, effectively slowing the car down. Acceleration is defined as the rate of change of velocity, and since the velocity is decreasing, the acceleration is negative in this context.

It's also important to note that as the car's velocity decreases, its kinetic energy also changes. Kinetic energy, which is dependent on the square of the velocity, decreases as the car slows.

Lastly, the car's mass remains unchanged throughout this process; mass is an intrinsic property of the car and does not change due to the car's motion or lack thereof.