Question

A bicycle starts at 2.5m/s and accelerates along a straight path to a speed of 12.5m/s in a time of 4.5 seconds. What is the bicyclist’s acceleration to the nearest tenth of a m/s^2 ?

Answer 1

The bicyclist's acceleration is 2.2m/s^2

Step-by-step explanation:

Given

`u = 2.5m/s` ---- Initial Velocity

`v = 12.5m/s` ---- Final Velocity

`t = 4.5s` ---- Time

Required

Determine the acceleration

This will be solved using the first equation of motion

`v = u + at`

Substitute values for v, u and a

`12.5 = 2.5 + a * 4.5`

`12.5 = 2.5 + 4.5a`

Collect Like Terms

`4.5a = 12.5 - 2.5`

`4.5a = 10.0`

Solve for a

`a = 10.0/4.5`

`a = 2.2m/s^2` ---- (approximated)

Hence, the bicyclist's acceleration is 2.2m/s^2