Can the passenger catch the train if the platform is long enough?

[cocoavi]

Mmmm if it's not too much of a problem could someone help me with the following question?:

A late passenger sprinting at 8.0m/s is 30.0m away from the rear end of a train when it starts out of the station with an acceleration of 1.0m/s^2. Can the passenger catch the train if the platform is long enough?

THX!

 

[lightgrav]

well, he's pretty far from it, but already going fast. The train's not too quick.

You're SUPPOSED to tell us what you've already done, and how you're thinking about this situation (see "sticky" thread at the top)

 

[cocoavi]

I'm sorry I know I should be telling what I've already done.. but I just don't think I'm doing it right and I've just been taking random equations and working on them..~ well.. I did d=vit + 0.5at^2 + 30... to make d=0.5t^2 +30 for the train.. but I have no idea why I did that T_T..

 

[lightgrav]

there are several ways to answer this question, each approach valid, so
we want to "guide" you in an approach that "makes sense" to you already.

If you try to catch a train (or anything else!) it is nice to know where it is.
It is also nice to know where YOU are. So, where is this fast runner?

 

[dx]

Try rephrasing the question. It asks you whether the passenger can catch the train. That is equivalent to asking if at any time the positions of the passenger and the train are the same. So, now you know what to do. You must write both the positions as functions of time. How does the position of both the passengers depend on time? Is there any value of t for which both the functions give the same position?