How Far and Fast Does the Car Travel to Overtake the Truck?

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on a physics problem involving a car accelerating at 3.20 m/s² and a truck moving at a constant speed of 20 m/s. To determine how far the car travels to overtake the truck, the equations of motion are applied. The car's distance can be expressed as x = ½ * 3.2 * t², while the truck's distance is x = 20 * t. By equating these two expressions, the time and distance at which the car overtakes the truck can be calculated, along with the car's speed at that moment.

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Homework Statement



At the instant the traffic light turns green, a car that has been waiting at the intersection starts ahead with a constant acceleration of 3.20 m/s squared. At the same instant, a truck, traveling with a constant speed of 20 m/s, overtakes and passes the car.
A) How far beyond its starting point, does the car overtake the truck?

B) How fast is the car traveling when it overtakes the truck?

Homework Equations


equations dealing with speed and acceleration



The Attempt at a Solution


so stuck! Don't know how to start! Help!
 
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Consider that the truck is going 20 at the moment the car starts accelerating.

At what point - like how much later - will the distance the car accelerates (x = ½*3.2*t²) be the same as the truck (x = 20*t)?
 

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