- #1
joe215
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Homework Statement
A fugitive tries to hop on a freight train traveling at a constant speed of 6.0m/s. The fugitive starts from rest and accelerates at 4.0m/s^2 to his maximum speed of 8.0 m/s. How long does it take him to catch the train? What is the distance traveled to catch the train?
The Attempt at a Solution
Displacement of fugitive=Displacement of train
D=VoT +1/2aT^2 So...
VoT +1/2aT^2 = VoT +1/2aT^2 Plug in some values...
0 + 1/2aT^2 = VoT + 0 Now I will rearrange the equation to solve for T (I'm going to eliminate a double root here, but it really doesn't matter I think)
T=2Vo(of the train) / a (of the fugitive)
T=3s
Now to find the displacement of the fugitive when he catches the train, I plug in 3s into the equation d=1/2(Vo+V)
d=1/2(0+8)3
d=12m
It takes the fugitive 3s to catch up to the boxcar. The fugitive travels 12m to catch the car.