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A drag racer starts her car from rest and accelerates at 9.1 m/s² for the entire distance of 475 m. How long did it take the car to travel this distance? What is the speed at the end of the run?

a) 10.0 seconds, 91 m/s
b) 20.0 seconds, 45.5 m/s
c) 30.0 seconds, 30.3 m/s
d) 40.0 seconds, 22.8 m/s

User Verism
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The drag racer takes 10.0 seconds to travel the distance of 475 meters, accelerating from rest at 9.1 m/s², resulting in a final speed of 91 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student has asked how long it would take for a drag racer to travel a distance of 475 meters starting from rest and accelerating at 9.1 m/s², as well as the speed at the end of the run. To solve this, we will use two kinematic equations:

First, the time t can be found using the formula:

s = ut + \frac{1}{2}at^2

Where:

  • s is the distance (475 m)
  • u is the initial velocity (0 m/s, since the car starts from rest)
  • a is the acceleration (9.1 m/s²)
  • t is the time

Rearranging and solving for t gives:

t = \sqrt{\frac{2s}{a}}

Plugging in the values:

t = \sqrt{\frac{2 \times 475 m}{9.1 m/s²}} = 10.0 seconds

Secondly, the final velocity v can be found using the formula:

v = u + at

Since u = 0:

v = 9.1 m/s² \times 10.0 s = 91 m/s

Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is (a) 10.0 seconds, 91 m/s.

User Jake Blues
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