Question

A car with a mass of 2500.0 kg travels at a constant speed behind a truck that is carrying huge stones. If one of the stones that has a mass of 600.0 kg, slips from the truck with an initial velocity 15.0 m/s and then hits the car behind it after 9.0 seconds, then calculate the acceleration of the car after the impact with the stone in m/s^2. If you can solve it, can you please tell me how you figured it out as well?

Answer 1

The acceleration of the car after the impact with the stone is -0.4 m/s^2.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the acceleration of the car after the impact with the stone, we need to use the equation:

F = m * a

Where F is the force exerted by the stone on the car, m is the mass of the car, and a is the acceleration of the car. Since the stone hits the car, the force exerted by the stone on the car is the product of the mass of the stone and its change in velocity over time:

F = mstone * (v - u) / t

Where mstone is the mass of the stone, v is the final velocity of the stone, u is the initial velocity of the stone, and t is the time taken for the stone to hit the car. We can rearrange this equation to find the acceleration of the car:

a = F / m

Substituting the values given in the question:

m = 2500.0 kg

mstone = 600.0 kg

v = 0 m/s

u = 15.0 m/s

t = 9.0 s

F = mstone * (v - u) / t

a = F / m

Calculating F:

F = 600.0 kg * (0 m/s - 15.0 m/s) / 9.0 s

F = -1000.0 N

Calculating a:

a = -1000.0 N / 2500.0 kg

a = -0.4 m/s2