Solving Kinematics Homework - Car & Truck Displacement & Speed

  • Thread starter Alyce777
  • Start date
  • Tags
    Kinematics
In summary, a car and a truck are in motion, with the car starting from rest and accelerating at 4.0m/s^2 [E] and the truck moving at a constant velocity of 90.0km/h [E]. After 10.0 seconds, the car has traveled 400m [E] beyond its starting point, while the truck has traveled 250m [E]. The car passes the truck at a distance of 312.5m beyond the starting point, and at this instant, the car is traveling at a speed that is unknown. It takes the car 12.5 seconds to pass the truck. Both drivers suddenly see a barrier 100.0m away and hit their brakes
  • #1
Alyce777
5
0

Homework Statement


" A car starts from rest and accelerates @ 4.0m/s^2 [E]. A truck with a constant velocity of 90.0km/h [E] overtakes and passes the car.
a) how far beyond the starting point is the car after 10.0 s?
How far beyond the starting point is the truck after 10.0s?
c) The car passes the truck @ a distance of 312.5m beyond the starting point. How fast is the car traveling at this instant?
d) How long does the car take to pass the truck?
e) Both drivers suddenly see a barrier 100.0m away and hit their breaks at the same time. If they take 3.0s to stop and decelerate uniformly, will they stop in time?


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



a) I found the displacement to be 400m [E]
b) I converted the 90km/h to 25.0m/s [E] and found the displacement to be 250m [E]
c) here's where I got stuck. I used the uaual velocity formula to solve for the change in time, but I got 12.5s as t. This doesn't make sense since in part a) I found the displacement to be 400m [E] in 10 seconds.
d) For this, I wanted to state that since the car encounters the truck at 312.5m [E], and the truck is traveling 25.0m/s [E]. it took the car 12.5 seconds to get there (calculated in pt c) but I think my logic and calculations in the previous step are wrong.
e) for the truck, I used the v2^2 = v1^2 + (2a)(displacement) to solve for displacement. I got 37.7m but since the last one was wrong..well its all connected and I'm frustrated.

Any help would be greatly appreciated
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #2
Alyce777 said:

Homework Statement


" A car starts from rest and accelerates @ 4.0m/s^2 [E]. A truck with a constant velocity of 90.0km/h [E] overtakes and passes the car.
a) how far beyond the starting point is the car after 10.0 s?
How far beyond the starting point is the truck after 10.0s?
c) The car passes the truck @ a distance of 312.5m beyond the starting point. How fast is the car traveling at this instant?
d) How long does the car take to pass the truck?
e) Both drivers suddenly see a barrier 100.0m away and hit their breaks at the same time. If they take 3.0s to stop and decelerate uniformly, will they stop in time?


Homework Equations





The Attempt at a Solution



a) I found the displacement to be 400m [E]
b) I converted the 90km/h to 25.0m/s [E] and found the displacement to be 250m [E]
c) here's where I got stuck. I used the uaual velocity formula to solve for the change in time, but I got 12.5s as t. This doesn't make sense since in part a) I found the displacement to be 400m [E] in 10 seconds.
d) For this, I wanted to state that since the car encounters the truck at 312.5m [E], and the truck is traveling 25.0m/s [E]. it took the car 12.5 seconds to get there (calculated in pt c) but I think my logic and calculations in the previous step are wrong.
e) for the truck, I used the v2^2 = v1^2 + (2a)(displacement) to solve for displacement. I got 37.7m but since the last one was wrong..well its all connected and I'm frustrated.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

for a)

using
d=0.5at^2
you would get d=0.5*4*100=200m

You forgot to multiply it by 0.5.
 
  • #3
rootX said:
for a)

using
d=0.5at^2
you would get d=0.5*4*100=200m

You forgot to multiply it by 0.5.

ooh thanks v. much
 

1. What is kinematics?

Kinematics is the branch of physics that studies the motion of objects without considering the forces that cause the motion. It involves analyzing the position, velocity, and acceleration of objects.

2. How do I calculate displacement?

Displacement is calculated by subtracting the initial position from the final position of an object. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction. The formula for displacement is Δx = xf - xi, where Δx is the displacement, xf is the final position, and xi is the initial position.

3. What is the difference between distance and displacement?

Distance is a scalar quantity that refers to the total length of the path traveled by an object, while displacement is a vector quantity that refers to the change in an object's position from its initial position to its final position. Distance is always positive, while displacement can be positive, negative, or zero.

4. How do I calculate speed?

Speed is calculated by dividing the distance traveled by the time it took to travel that distance. The formula for speed is speed = distance/time. It is a scalar quantity and is typically measured in units of distance per time, such as meters per second or miles per hour.

5. Can you give an example of solving a kinematics problem?

Sure, let's say a car travels 50 meters east in 10 seconds. We can calculate the car's average speed by dividing the distance (50 meters) by the time (10 seconds), which gives us a speed of 5 meters per second. We can also calculate the car's displacement by subtracting its initial position (0 meters) from its final position (50 meters), which gives us a displacement of 50 meters east.

Similar threads

  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
9
Views
3K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
8
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
7
Views
2K
Replies
19
Views
1K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
2
Views
3K
Replies
7
Views
2K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
7
Views
6K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • Introductory Physics Homework Help
Replies
9
Views
2K
Back
Top