How Far Does the Trooper Travel to Catch the Speeder?

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AI Thread Summary
A state trooper accelerates at 5.0 m/s² for 10 seconds after a speeder passes at 40 m/s, covering 250 meters and reaching a speed of 50 m/s. Meanwhile, the speeder travels 400 meters in the same time frame. This leaves a gap of 150 meters between the trooper and the speeder once the trooper stops accelerating. To determine how long it will take the trooper to catch up, the relative velocity of 10 m/s (50 m/s - 40 m/s) can be used. The trooper will cover the remaining distance of 150 meters at this relative speed.
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Homework Statement



A state trooper sets up a radar trap. A speeder passes the trooper and continues going at a constant speed of 40 m/s. The instant the speeder passes the trooper, the trooper accelerates at 5.0 m/s/s for 10 seconds and then continues at a constant speed. How far will the trooper travel before she catches up to the speeder?

Homework Equations



d=v1t+1/2at^2
d=1/2at^2

The Attempt at a Solution



I figured out the distance traveled for the first ten seconds by the police man to be 250 meters and his final velocity being 50 m/s. The speeder's distance in 10 seconds is 400 meters. Now I do not know how to find the distance that it takes for the cop to catch the speeder.
 
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So what is the relative distance between them at the moment the cop stops accelerating?
Then with their relative velocity, how long will it take the cop to cover that distance?
 
The distance between the two cars would be 150 meters apart. The problem is that I do not know how to find a formula to discover the rest of the distance covered
 
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