How far does a car travel after accelerating to 60km/h in 4.2 seconds?

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To determine how far a car travels after accelerating to 60 km/h in 4.2 seconds, the acceleration must be known, as the distance depends on the rate of acceleration. Without assuming constant acceleration, there is no unique answer since acceleration can vary throughout the time period. If constant acceleration is assumed, the formula x = 1/2 a t^2 can be used, where acceleration a is calculated as the change in velocity divided by time. However, converting time from seconds to hours is necessary for proper calculations. Ultimately, the lack of specific acceleration data complicates finding a definitive distance traveled.
Graham Downs
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Hi, all

I have a question that I've been Googling for the past hour or so, and cannot find the answer to. I seem to remember it has something to do with the logarithmic scale. I hope somebody here can answer it for me:

A car accelerates from 0 to 60km/h in 4.2 seconds. What I'd like to know is how far the car has traveled (In metres) after the 4.2 seconds - when it has attained its 60km/h speed.

We cannot assume a constant acceleration, as the speed increases gradually every second of the 4.2 seconds.

Can anybody help with this?

Cheers
Nocturne
 
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If we do not assume contant and do not have the rate of acceleration as a function of time there is not a unique answer to the question. The distance traveled is determined by the rate of acceleration.

Assuming a contant acceleration you can use:
x = \frac 1 2 a t^2 with

a = \frac { \Delta v } { \Delta t} = \frac {60 km/h} {4.2 s}

You will need to convert the 4.2 seconds to hours.
 
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You need to know what the acceleration of the car looks like, and that isn't that easy to find without making some pretty big assumptions.
 
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