How Long Does It Take for a Car to Pass a Truck After Reaching the Speed Limit?

Join the discussion
Registration is free. Start your own thread to ask a follow-up.
33 replies · 23K views
37.5 m? if the car starts at the origin, then its final position would be 62.5m and the truck starts at 50, its final position would be 100 m
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Ok you know the distance between the car and truck, and you know their speeds and you need to find the time.

In terms of relative velocity, its just distance = relative velocity*time

But in case you're not familiar with relative velocity, look at it like this. Assume the car takes time T to overtake the truck. It moves a distance 25*T during this. The truck moves a distance 18*T in the meantime. Now, The car should move 37.5 m more than the truck to overtake it.