Final answer:
The particle's initial velocity is 2 feet per second.
Step-by-step explanation:
The initial velocity of the particle can be found by finding the derivative of the position function. Since the position function is s(t) = 3t^3 - 13t^2 + 2t - 1, the derivative will give us the velocity function. Taking the derivative of s(t), we get v(t) = 9t^2 - 26t + 2. To find the initial velocity, we can substitute t = 0 into the velocity function. Plugging in t = 0, we get v(0) = 2 feet per second.