Question

Both vehicles are travelling at 13 m/s. The driver of the truck then accelerates at 1.2 m/s2 until both vehicles are

travelling at 20 m/s. Calculate the time taken for this acceleration.

Answer 1

To calculate the time taken for the truck's acceleration from 13 m/s to 20 m/s at a rate of 1.2 m/s², use the formula t = (v - u) / a. The time calculated is approximately 5.83 seconds.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question asks for the time taken for a truck traveling at 13 m/s to accelerate at 1.2 m/s2 until it reaches 20 m/s. To solve this, we use the formula for constant acceleration, which is:

v = u + at

Where:

Rearranging the formula to solve for time (t), we get:

t = (v - u) / a

Substituting in the known values:

t = (20 m/s - 13 m/s) / 1.2 m/s2

Carrying out the calculation gives us:

t = 7 m/s / 1.2 m/s2 = 5.8333 s

Therefore, it takes approximately 5.83 seconds for the truck to accelerate from 13 m/s to 20 m/s.