TABLE OF CONTENTS

Uniformly Accelerating Motion..1

The Meaning of Constant Acceleration..1

Calculating the Average Acceleration3

The Direction of Acceleration Vector4

What Are The Kinematic Formulas....5

What Is A Freely Flying Object.........6

How Do You Select And Use A Kinematic Formula.........7

Derivation of the Kinematic Formulas

How do you derive the first kinematic formula?........8

How do you derive the second kinematic formula?.......8

How do you derive the third kinematic formula?.....10

How do you derive the fourth kinematic formula?...11

Whats Confusing About The Kinematic Formulas...11

What Do Solved Examples Involving the Kinematic Formulas Look Like?.12

Constant Acceleration Problems...15

 Uniformly Accelerating Motion

An often confused quantity, acceleration has a meaning much different than the meaning associated with
it by sports announcers and other individuals. The definition of acceleration is:

Acceleration is a vector quantity that is defined as the rate at which an object changes its velocity.
An object is accelerating if it is changing its velocity.

Sports announcers will occasionally say that a person is accelerating if he/she is moving fast. Yet
acceleration has nothing to do with going fast. A person can be moving very fast and still not be
accelerating. Acceleration has to do with changing how fast an object is moving. If an object is not
changing its velocity, then the object is not accelerating. The data at the right are representative of a
northward-moving accelerating object. The velocity is changing over the course of time. In fact, the
velocity is changing by a constant amount - 10 m/s - in each second of time. Anytime an object's velocity
is changing, the object is said to be accelerating; it has an acceleration.

Time Velocity

0s 0 m/s

1s 10 m.s

2s 20 m/s

3s 30 m/s

4s 40 m/s

5s 50 m/s

The Meaning of Constant Acceleration

Sometimes an accelerating object will change its velocity by the same amount each second. As mentioned
in the previous paragraph, the data table above show an object changing its velocity by 10 m/s in each
consecutive second. This is referred to as a constant acceleration since the velocity is changing by a
constant amount each second. An object with a constant acceleration should not be confused with an
object with a constant velocity. If an object is changing its velocity -whether by a constant amount or a
varying amount - then it is an accelerating object. And an object with a constant velocity is not
accelerating. The data tables below depict motions of objects with a constant acceleration and a changing
acceleration. Note that each object has a changing velocity.

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 Accelerating Objects are Changing Their Velocity

by a constant amount each second ...or by a changing amount each second

Time (s) Velocity (m/s) Time (s) Velocity (m/s)

0 0 0 0

1 4 1 1

2 8 2 4

3 12 3 5

4 16 4 7

...in which case, it is referred to as a constant ...in which case, it is referred to as a non-constant
acceleration. acceleration.

Since accelerating objects are constantly changing their velocity, one can say that the distance
traveled/time is not a constant value. A falling object for instance usually accelerates as it falls. If we were
to observe the motion of a free-falling object (free fall motion will be discussed in detail later), we would
observe that the object averages a velocity of approximately 5 m/s in the first second, approximately 15
m/s in the second second, approximately 25 m/s in the third second, approximately 35 m/s in the fourth
second, etc. Our free-falling object would be constantly accelerating. Given these average velocity values
during each consecutive 1-second time interval, we could say that the object would fall 5 meters in the
first second, 15 meters in the second second (for a total distance of 20 meters), 25 meters in the third
second (for a total distance of 45 meters), 35 meters in the fourth second (for a total distance of 80 meters
after four seconds). These numbers are summarized in the table below.

Time Velocity Change Ave. Velocity Distance Traveled Total Distance

Interval During Interval During Interval During Interval Traveled from
0 s to End of
Interval
0 1.0 s 0 to ~10 m/s ~5 m/s ~5 m ~5 m
1.0 2.0 s ~10 to 20 m/s ~15 m/s ~15 m ~20 m
2.0 3.0 s ~20 to 30 m/s ~25 m/s ~25 m ~45 m
3.0 4.0 s ~30 to 40 m/s ~35 m/s ~35 m ~80 m

Note: The ~ symbol as used here means approximately.

This discussion illustrates that a free-falling object that is accelerating at a constant rate will cover
different distances in each consecutive second. Further analysis of the first and last columns of the data
above reveal that there is a square relationship between the total distance traveled and the time of travel
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for an object starting from rest and moving with a constant acceleration. The total distance traveled is
directly proportional to the square of the time. As such, if an object travels for twice the time, it will cover
four times (2^2) the distance; the total distance traveled after two seconds is four times the total distance
traveled after one second. If an object travels for three times the time, then it will cover nine times (3^2)
the distance; the distance traveled after three seconds is nine times the distance traveled after one second.
Finally, if an object travels for four times the time, then it will cover 16 times (4^2) the distance; the
distance traveled after four seconds is 16 times the distance traveled after one second. For objects with a
constant acceleration, the distance of travel is directly proportional to the square of the time of travel.
Calculating the Average Acceleration
The average acceleration (a) of any object over a given interval of time (t) can be calculated using the
equation

Ave. Acceleration = velocity = vf - vi

time t

This equation can be used to calculate the acceleration of the object whose motion is depicted by the
velocity-time data table above. The velocity-time data in the table shows that the object has an
acceleration of 10 m/s/s. The calculation is shown below.

a = vf - vi = 50 m/s - 0 m/s = 10
m/s

t 5s 1s

Acceleration values are expressed in units of velocity/time. Typical acceleration units include the
following:

m/s/s
mi/hr/s
km/hr/s
m/s2

These units may seem a little awkward to a beginning physics student. Yet they are very reasonable units
when you begin to consider the definition and equation for acceleration. The reason for the units becomes
obvious upon examination of the acceleration equation.
`
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 a = velovity/time

Since acceleration is a velocity change over a time, the units on acceleration are velocity units divided by
time units - thus (m/s)/s or (mi/hr)/s. The (m/s)/s unit can be mathematically simplified to m/s2.

The Direction of the Acceleration Vector

Since acceleration is a vector quantity, it has a direction associated with it. The direction of the
acceleration vector depends on two things:

whether the object is speeding up or slowing down

whether the object is moving in the + or - direction

The general principle for determining the acceleration is:

If an object is slowing down, then its acceleration is in the opposite direction of its motion.

This general principle can be applied to determine whether the sign of the acceleration of an object is
positive or negative, right or left, up or down, etc. Consider the two data tables below. In each case, the
acceleration of the object is in the positive direction. In Example A, the object is moving in the positive
direction (i.e., has a positive velocity) and is speeding up. When an object is speeding up, the acceleration
is in the same direction as the velocity. Thus, this object has a positive acceleration. In Example B, the
object is moving in the negative direction (i.e., has a negative velocity) and is slowing down. According
to our general principle, when an object is slowing down, the acceleration is in the opposite direction as
the velocity. Thus, this object also has a positive acceleration.

Example A Example B
Time (s) Velocity (m/s) Time (s) Velocity (m/s)

0 0 0 -8

1 2 1 -6

2 4 2 -4

3 6 3 -2

4 8 4 0

They are both examples of positive acceleration

This same general principle can be applied to the motion of the objects represented in the two data tables
below. In each case, the acceleration of the object is in the negative direction. In Example C, the object is
moving in the positive direction (i.e., has a positive velocity) and is slowing down. According to our
principle, when an object is slowing down, the acceleration is in the opposite direction as the velocity.
Thus, this object has a negative acceleration. In Example D, the object is moving in the negative direction
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(i.e., has a negative velocity) and is speeding up. When an object is speeding up, the acceleration is in the
same direction as the velocity. Thus, this object also has a negative acceleration.

Example A Example B
Time (s) Velocity (m/s) Time (s) Velocity (m/s)

0 8 0 0

1 6 1 -2

2 4 2 -4

3 2 3 -6

4 0 4 -8

They are both examples of negative acceleration

Observe the use of positive and negative as used in the discussion above (Examples A - D). In physics,
the use of positive and negative always has a physical meaning. It is more than a mere mathematical
symbol. As used here to describe the velocity and the acceleration of a moving object, positive and
negative describe a direction. Both velocity and acceleration are vector quantities and a full description of
the quantity demands the use of a directional adjective. North, south, east, west, right, left, up and down
are all directional adjectives. Physics often borrows from mathematics and uses the + and - symbols as
directional adjectives. Consistent with the mathematical convention used on number lines and graphs,
positive often means to the right or up and negative often means to the left or down. So to say that an
object has a negative acceleration as in Examples C and D is to simply say that its acceleration is to the
left or down (or in whatever direction has been defined as negative). Negative accelerations do not refer
acceleration values that are less than 0. An acceleration of -2 m/s/s is an acceleration with a magnitude of
2 m/s/s that is directed in the negative direction.

What are the kinematic formulas?

The kinematic formulas are a set of formulas that relate the five kinematic variables listed below.

x Displacement

t Time Interval

vo Initial velocity

v Final Velocity

If we know three of these five kinematic variables x, t, v0, v, afor an object under constant
acceleration, we can use a kinematic formula, see below, to solve for one of the unknown variables.
The kinematic formulas are often written as the following four equations

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 1. v = v0 + at
2. x = ((v+vo)/2)t
3. x = v0t + at2
4. v2 = v02 + 2ax

Since the kinematic formulas are only accurate if the acceleration is constant during the time interval
considered, we have to be careful to not use them when the acceleration is changing. Also, the kinematic
formulas assume all variables are referring to the same direction: horizontal x, vertical y, etc.

If you plug in a horizontal initial velocity v0x into a kinematic formula, the rest of the variables you plug
into that formulax, vx, ax,should also be for the horizontal direction.

If you plug in a vertical initial velocity v0y into a kinematic formula, the rest of the variables you plug into
that formulay, vy, ayshould also be for the vertical direction.

In other words, to be really clear, the kinematic formulas for a given directionfor example, xshould
really be written with a subscript to denote that direction:

1. v = v0x + axt
2. x = v0xt + axt2
3. vx2 = v0x2 + 2axx
4. (vx + v0x)/2 = x/t

However, including all these subscripts can start to get messy. So textbooks, courses, and professors often
leave off the subscripts and just remember that the kinematic formulas will work for any directioneven
diagonallyin which the acceleration is constant, as long as you include only variables in that particular
direction.

What is a freely flying objecti.e., a projectile?

It might seem like the fact that the kinematic formulas only work for time intervals of constant
acceleration would severely limit the applicability of these formulas. However one of the most common
forms of motion, free fall, just happens to be constant acceleration.
All freely flying objectsalso called projectileson Earth, regardless of their mass, have a constant
downward acceleration due to gravity of magnitude g = 9.81 ms2

g = 9.81m/s2 (Magnitude of acceleration due to gravity)

A freely flying object is defined as any object that is accelerating only due to the influence of gravity. We
typically assume the effect of air resistance is small enough to ignore, which means any object that is
dropped, thrown, or otherwise flying freely through the air is typically assumed to be a freely flying
projectile with a constant downward acceleration of magnitude g = 9.81 ms2

This is both strange and lucky if we think about it. It's strange since this means that a large boulder will
accelerate downwards with the same acceleration as a small pebble, and if dropped from the same height,
they would strike the ground at the same time.

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The force of gravity is larger on the boulder, which tends to increase the acceleration of the boulder. But
the inertiaresistance to accelerationis also larger for the boulder, which tends to decrease the
acceleration of the boulder.

These confounding effects exactly cancel and the result is that the mass of an object does not affect its
acceleration due to gravity.

It's lucky since we don't need to know the mass of the projectile when solving kinematic formulas since
m , no matter what mass it
the freely flying object will have the same magnitude of acceleration, g = 9.81 s2
hasas long as air resistance is negligible.

m is just the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity. If upward is selected as

Note that g = 9.81 s2
m for a projectile when we plug
positive, we must make the acceleration due to gravity negative ay = 9.81 s2
into the kinematic formulas.

(Warning: Forgetting to include a negative sign is one of the most common sources of error when using
kinematic formulas.)

How do you select and use a kinematic formula?

We choose the kinematic formula that includes both the unknown variable we're looking for and three of
the kinematic variables we already know. This way, we can solve for the unknown we want to find, which
will be the only unknown in the formula.

For instance, say we knew a book on the ground was kicked forward with an initial velocity of v0 = 5 m/s,
after which it took a time interval t = 3s, for the book to slide a displacement of x = 8m, We could use
the kinematic formula x = v0t + at2 to algebraically solve for the unknown acceleration a of the
bookassuming the acceleration was constantsince we know every other variable in the formula
besides ax,v0, t.

Problem solving tip: Note that each kinematic formula is missing one of the five kinematic variables
x, t, v0, v, a.

1. v = v0+at (This formula is missing x.)

2. x = ((v+v0)/2)t (This formula is missing a.)
3. x = v0t + at2 (This formula is missing v.)
4. v2 = v02 + 2ax (This formula is missing t,)

To choose the kinematic formula that's right for your problem, figure out which variable you are not given
and not asked to find. For example, in the problem given above, the final velocity of the book was
neither given nor asked for, so we should choose a formula that does not include at all. The kinematic
formula x = v0t + at2 is missing , so its the right choice in this case to solve for the acceleration a

Shouldn't there be a fifth kinematic formula that is missing the initial velocity?

Yes, there is.

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 x = vt - at2 (This formula is for missing v0)

The fifth kinematic formula looks just like the third kinematic formula x = v0t + at2 except with the
initial velocity 0 replaced with final velocity v and the plus sign replaced with a minus sign. It can be
derived by plugging the first kinematic formula into the third kinematic formula.

This fifth kinematic formula often isn't as useful since the initial velocity is typically known/given in
many situations.

Derivation of the Kinematic Formulas

How do you derive the first kinematic formula, v = v0 + at?

This kinematic formula is probably the easiest to derive since it is really just a rearranged version of the
definition of acceleration. We can start with the definition of acceleration,
a = v/t

Isnt this the average acceleration? Yes. If the time interval t is large, the formula a = v/t is the
average acceleration over the time interval.

So, the derivation we are going through below really assumes that the a in the formula is the average
acceleration aavg. However, if the acceleration is constant, the instantaneous acceleration ainst will equal the
average acceleration aavg , in which case we dont have to worry about being specific and can just call it a

So, for the kinematic formula we will derive to be accurate, the acceleration should be constant. Or else
the a in the formula is referring to the average acceleration and not the instantaneous acceleration.

Now we can replace with the definition of change in velocity - 0

a = (v - v0)/t
Finally if we just solve for we get
v = v0 + at

And if we agree to just use t for t, this becomes the first kinematic formula.
v = v0 + at

How do you derive the second kinematic formula, x = ((v+vo)/2)t?

A cool way to visually derive this kinematic formula is by considering the velocity graph for an object
with constant accelerationin other words, a constant slopeand starts with initial velocity 0 as seen in
the graph below.

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The area under any velocity graph gives the displacement x. So the area under this velocity graph will be
the displacement x of the object.

x = total area

We can conveniently break this area into a blue rectangle and a red triangle as seen in the graph above.

The height of the blue rectangle is 0 and the width is t, so the area of the blue triangle is 0t.
The base of the red triangle is t and the height is v - v0, so the area of the red triangle is t(v - v0).

The total area will be the sum of the areas of the blue rectangle and the red triangle.

x = v0t + t(v - v0)

If we distribute the factor of t we get

x = v0t + vt - v0t

We can simplify by combining 0 terms to get

x = vt + v0t

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And finally we can rewrite the right hand side to get the second kinematic formula.
x = ((v+vo)/2)t
This formula is interesting since if you divide both sides by t, you get x/t = (v+vo)/2. This shows that the
average velocity x/t equals the average of the final and initial velocities (v+vo)/2. However, this is only
true assuming the acceleration is constant since we derived this formula from a velocity graph with
constant slope/acceleration.

How do you derive the third kinematic formula, x = 0t + at2?

There are a couple ways to derive the equation x = 0t + at2.. There's a cool geometric derivation and a
less exciting plugging-and-chugging derivation. We'll do the cool geometric derivation first. Consider an
object that starts with a velocity 0 and maintains constant acceleration to a final velocity of as seen in
the graph below.

Since the area under a velocity graph gives the displacement x, each term on the right hand side of the
formula x = 0t + at2 represents an area in the graph above.

The term 0t represents the area of the blue rectangle since Arectangle = hw.
The term at2 represents the area of the red triangle since Atriangle = bh

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This is because the base of the red triangle is given by t. The height of the red triangle is given by - 0.
But this height height can be rewritten as at since - 0 = at, from the definition of acceleration.

So, Atriangle = bh = t( - 0) = t(at) = at2

That's it. The formula x = 0t + at2 has to be true since the displacement must be given by the total area
under the curve. We did assume the velocity graph was a nice diagonal line so that we could use the
triangle formula, so this kinematic formulalike all the rest of the kinematic formulasis only true
under the assumption that the acceleration is constant.

Here's the alternative plugging-and-chugging derivation. The third kinematic formula can be derived by
at, into the second kinematic formula, x/t = ( + 0)/2
plugging in the first kinematic formula, = 0 +

If we start with second kinematic formula

x/t = ( + 0)/2
And we use = 0 +
a t to plug in for , we get
at) + 0)/2
x/t = ((0 +
We can expand the right hand side to get
x/t = (0/2) + (at/2) + (0/2)
Combining the 0/2 terms on the right hand side gives us
x/t = 0 + (at/2)
And finally multiplying both sides by the time t gives us the third kinematic formula.
x = 0t + at2

Again, we used other kinematic formulas, which have a requirement of constant acceleration, so this third
kinematic formula is also only true under the assumption that the acceleration is constant.

How do you derive the fourth kinematic formula, 2 = 02 + 2ax?

To derive the fourth kinematic formula, we'll start with the second kinematic formula:

x = (( + 0)/2)t

We want to eliminate the time t from this formula. To do this, we'll solve the first kinematic formula, =
0 + at, for time to get t = ( - 0)/a. If we plug this expression for time t into the second kinematic formula
we'll get
x = (( + 0)/2) (( - 0)/a)

Multiplying the fractions on the right hand side gives

x = (2 - 02)/2a
And now solving for 2 we
get the fourth kinematic formula.
2 = 02 + 2ax

What's confusing about the kinematic formulas?

People often forget that the kinematic formulas are only true assuming the acceleration is constant during
the time interval considered.

Sometimes a known variable will not be explicitly given in a problem, but rather implied with codewords.
For instance, "starts from rest" means 0 = 0, "dropped" often means 0 = 0, and comes to a stop 0 = 0.
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Also, the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity on all freely flying projectiles is assumed to be g =
9.81 ms2 , so this acceleration will usually not be given explicitly in a problem but will just be implied for a
freely flying object.

People forget that all the kinematic variablesx, v0, v, aexcept for t can be negative. A missing
negative sign is a very common source of error. If upward is assumed to be positive, then the acceleration
due to gravity for a freely flying object must be negative: ag = m
-9.81 s2 .

The third kinematic formula, x = v0t + at2, might require the use of the quadratic formula, see solved
example 3 below.

People forget that even though you can choose any time interval during the constant acceleration, the
kinematic variables you plug into a kinematic formula must be consistent with that time interval. In other
words, the initial velocity v0 has to be the velocity of the object at the initial position and start of the time
interval t. Similarly, the final velocity v must be the velocity at the final position and end of the time
interval t being analysed.

What do solved examples involving the kinematic formulas look like?

Example 1: First kinematic formula, v = v 0 + a t

A water balloon filled with Kool-Aid is dropped from the top of a very tall building.

What is the velocity of the water balloon after falling for t = 2.35s?

Assuming upward is the positive direction, our known variables are:

V0 = 0 (Since the water balloon was dropped, it started at rest)
t = 2.35s (This is the time interval after which we want to find the velocity.)
ag = m
-9.81 s2 (This is implied since the water balloon is a freely falling object.)
Isnt the final velocity zero when it hits the ground? If you wait long enough, yes, but we won't use that in
our formula for two reasons.

First, we are only considering the time interval of 2.35s, which is presumably less than the time required
to reach the ground.

Second, we can only apply the kinematic formulas for a time interval of constant acceleration. When the
water balloon hits the ground the acceleration changes dramatically from the collision. So if we are going
to claim that the acceleration in our kinematic formula is ag = m
-9.81 s2 since the object is in free fall, then
we can't claim that the final velocity is zero since that is a portion of the trip when the object was
colliding with the ground (i.e. not in free fall) and we would be contradicting ourselves.

If we knew the acceleration upon impact, and if that acceleration was constant we could apply the
kinematic formulas during the time interval of impact. But that's not the question we're considering here,
and in most free fall problems we'll only consider the time after release and the time before impact.

The motion is vertical in this situation, so we'll use y as our position variable instead of x. The symbol we
choose doesn't really matter as long as we're consistent, but people typically use y to indicate vertical
motion.

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Since we don't know the displacement y and we weren't asked for the displacement y we'll use the first
kinematic formula v = v0 + at, which is missing y.

v = 0 m/s + (-9.81 ms2 )(2.35s) (Plug in known values)

v = -23.1 m/s

Note: The final velocity was negative since the water balloon was heading downward.

Cant we call downward the positive direction? Yes, we're free to call downward the positive direction for
any problem, but we have to be consistent with that decision. If we call downward positive, then every
vector pointing downward has to be considered positive.

So the acceleration would have to be +9.81 ms2 , and we would end up getting a positive final velocity
instead of a negative final velocity.

Example 2: Second kinematic formula, x = ((v + v0)/2)t

A leopard is running at 6.20 m/s and after seeing a mirage that's taken the form of an ice cream truck; the
leopard then speeds up to 23.1 m/s in a time of 3.3 s.

How much ground did the leopard cover in going from 6.20 m/s to 23.1 m/s?

Assuming the initial direction of travel is the positive direction, our known variables are:
v0 = 6.20 m/s (The initial speed of the leopard)
v = 23.1 m/s (The final speed of the leopard)
t = 3.30 s (The time it took for the leopard to speed up)

Since we do not know the acceleration a, and were not asked for the acceleration, we'll use the second
kinematic formula for the horizontal direction x = ((v + v0)/2)t, which is missing a
x = ((v + v0)/2)t (Use the second kinematic formula since its missing a)
x = ((23.1 m/s + 6.20 m/s)/2)(3.30s) (Plug in known values)
x = 48.3 m

Example 3: Third kinematic formula, x =v0t +at2

A student is fed up with doing her kinematic formula homework, so she throws her pencil straight upward
at 18.3 m/s. How long does it take the pencil to first reach a point 12.2 m higher than where it was
thrown?

Assuming upward is the positive direction, our known variables are:

v0 = 18.3 m/s (The initial upward velocity of the pencil)
y = 12.2 m (We want to know the time when the pencil moves through this displacement)
a = -9.81 ms2

Since we don't know the final velocity v and we weren't asked to find the final velocity, we will use the
third kinematic formula for the vertical direction y =v0yt +ayt2, which is missing v.

Normally we would just solve our expression algebraically for the variable we want to find, but this

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kinematic formula can not be solved algebraically for time if none of the terms are zero. That's because
when none of the terms are zero and t is the unknown variable, this equation becomes a quadratic
equation. We can see this by plugging in known values.
12.2 m = (18.3 m/s)t + (-9.81 ms2 )t2

To put this into a more solvable form of the quadratic equation, we move everything onto one side of the
equation. Subtracting 12 m from both sides we get
0 = (-9.81 ms2 )t2 + (18.3 m/s)t - 12.2 m (Put it into the form of the quadratic equation)

At this point, we solve the quadratic equation for time t. The solutions of a quadratic equation in the form
of at2 + bt + c = 0 are found by using the quadratic formula t = b b 4ac . For our kinematic equation a
2

2a
= (-9.81 ms2 ), b = 18.3 m/s, and c = -12.2 m .

So plugging into the quadratic formula, we get:

(18.3 m/s)
2
-18.3 m/s 4[12( 9.81m/s2)( 12.2m)]
t =
2[(-9.81 m/s2)]

Since there is a plus or minus sign in the quadratic formula, we get two answers for the time t: one when
using the + and one when using the . Solving the quadratic formula above gives these two times:
t = 0.869 s and t = 2.86 s

There are two positive solutions since there are two times when the pencil was 12.2 m high. The smaller
time refers to the time required to go upward and first reach the displacement of 12.2 m high. The larger
time refers to the time required to move upward, pass through 12.2 m high, reach a maximum height, and
then fall back down to a point 12.2 m high.

So, to find the answer to our question of "How long does it take the pencil to first reach a point 12.2 m
higher than where it was thrown?" we would choose the smaller time t = 0.869 s.

What if the quadratic formula gives a negative answer? If the quadratic formula gives a negative time and
a positive time, then the object in question only reaches the specified displacement once after being
thrown. In that case, we can simply choose the positive time and neglect the negative time.

The negative time is referring to a time before the object was thrown when it would have been at the
specified displacement. In other words, assume the object had been on its trajectory before being thrown
and just happened to reach the point of being thrown with the initial velocity specified.

Example 4: Fourth kinematic formula, v2 = v02 + 2ax

A European motorcyclist starts with a speed of 23.4 m/s and, seeing traffic up ahead, decides to slow
down over a length of 50.2 m with a constant deceleration of magnitude 3.20 m/s2. Assume the
motorcycle is moving forward for the entire trip.

What is the new velocity of the motorcyclist after slowing down through the 50.2 m?

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Assuming the initial direction of travel is the positive direction, our known variables are:
v0 = 23.4 m/s (The initial forward velocity of the motorcycle)
a = -3.20 m/s2 (Acceleration is negative since the motorcycle is slowing down and we assumed forward
is positive.)
x = 50.2 m (We want to know the velocity after the motorcycle moves through this displacement.)

Since we don't know the time t and we weren't asked to find the time, we will use the fourth kinematic
formula for the horizontal direction vx2 = v0x
2 + 2a x, which is missing t.
x
vx2 = v0x
2 + 2a x
x (Start with the fourth kinematic formula)

v
vx = 2 + 2axx (Algebraically solve for the final velocity.)
0x
Note that in taking a square root, you get two possible answers: positive or negative. Since our
motorcyclist will still be going in the direction of motion it started with and we assumed that direction

was positive, we'll choose the positive answer vx = + v0x 2 + 2a x .
x

Now we can plug in values to get

vx = + (23.4 m/s) 2
+ 2( 3.20 m/s2)(50.2 m ) (Plug in known values.)
vx = 15.0 m/s

Constant acceleration problems:

(x will be used instead of x in some instances when the initial velocity is 0. As a convention, v0 and v
will be used for the initial and final velocity respectively for most of the questions)

1. An object has an in initial velocity of 4.0 m/s and a constant acceleration of 2.0 m/s2. How far
does it travel in 10.0 seconds?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 4.0 m/s; a = 2.0 m/s2; t = 10.0 s
Find: x = ?
x = v0t + at2
x = (4.0 m/s)(10.0 s) + (2.0 m/s2)(10 s)2
x = (40 m) +(1.0 m/s2)(100 s2)
x = (40 m) +(100 m)
x = 140 m

2. An object has an initial forward velocity of 25 m/s and a constant acceleration of 1.5 m/s2. How
far does it travel in 5.0 seconds?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 25 m/s; a = -1.5 m/s2; t = 5.0 s
Find: x = ?

x = v0t + at2
x = (25 m/s)(5.0 s)+ (-1.5 m/s2)(5.0 s)2
x = (25 m/s)(5.0 s)+ (-1.5 m/s2)(25.0 s2)
x = 125 m + (-1.5 m/s2)(12.5 s2)
x = 125 m + 18.75 m

15
 x = 143.75 m

3. A racing car is travelling North. It accelerates uniformly covering a distance of 725 m in 10 s. If it

has an initial velocity of 10 m/s, find its acceleration.
Solution:
Given: x = 725 m; t = 10 s; v0 = 10 m/s
Find: a = ?
x = v0t + at2
725 m = (10 m/s)(10 s) + a(10 s)2
725 m = (100 m) + a(100 s2)
625 m = a(100 s2)
1250 m = a(100 s2)
1250 m / 100 s2 = a
12.5 m/s2 = a

4. A car starts from rest and accelerates at 10 m/s2 for 3 secs. What is the maximum speed it attains?
Solution:
v = v0 + at
v = 0 m/s + (10 m/s2)(3 s)
v = 30 m/s

5. A car starts from 2 m/s and accelerates at 13 m/s2 for 5 secs. What is the maximum speed it
attains?
Solution:
v = v0 + at
v = 2 m/s + (13 m/s2)(5 s)
v = 2 m/s + 65 m/s
v = 67 m/s

6. A car travelling at 25 m/s starts to decelerate at 5 m/s2. How long will it take for the car to come
to rest?
Solution:
v = v0 + at
v - v0 = at
(v - v0) / a = t
(0 m/s - 25 m/s) / (-5 m/s2) = t
(-25 m/s) / (-5 m/s2) = t
5 s = t

7. A car travelling at 120 m/s starts to decelerate at 15 m/s2. How long will it take for the car to
come to 10 m/s?
Solution:
v = v0 + at
v - v0 = at
(v - v0) / a = t
(10 m/s - 120 m/s) / (-15 m/s2) = t
(-110 m/s) / (-15 m/s2) = t
7.33 s = t
16
8. A car travelling at 20 m/s decelerates at 5 m/s2. How far will the car travel before stopping?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 20 m/s; a = 5 m/s2; v = 0 m/s
Find: x = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - v02 = 2ax
(v2 - v02) / 2a = x
[(0 m/s)2 - (20 m/s)2] / 2(-5 m/s2) = x
(-400 m2/s2) / (-10 m/s2) = x
40 m = x

9. An object accelerates from stationary with the acceleration of 4 m/s2. What is the velocity of the
object after 7s?
Solution:
Given: a = 4 m/s2; v0 = 0 m/s (implied); t = 7 s
Find: v = ?
v = v0 + at
v = 0 m/s + (4 m/s2)(7 s)
v = 0 m/s + (4 m/s2)(7 s)
v = 28 m/s2

10. A cyclist riding at a speed of 40 m/s braked with uniform acceleration and stopped in 40m. How
long did he take to stop?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 40 m/s; v = 0 m/s; x = 40 m
Find: t = ?
x = (v0 + v)t/2
2x = (v0 + v)t
2x / (v0 + v) = t
2(40 m) / (40 m/s + 0 m/s) = t
80 m / 40 m/s = t
2 s = t

11. A car is accelerated at 4 m/s2 from an initial velocity of 5 m/s for 10 seconds. What is the distance
traveled by the car?
Solution:
Find: a = 4 m/s2; v0 = 5 m/s; t = 10 s
Given: x = ?
x = v0t + at2
x = (5 m/s)(10 s) + (4 m/s2)(10 s)2
x = 50 m + (2 m/s2)(100 s2)
x = 50 m + 200 m
x = 250 m

12. A car is accelerated at 8 m/s2 from an initial velocity of 25 m/s for 10 seconds. What is the
distance traveled by the car?
Solution:
17
 Find: a = 8 m/s2; v0 = 25 m/s; t = 10 s
Given: x = ?
x = v0t + at2
x = (25 m/s)(10 s) + (8 m/s2)(10 s)2
x = 250 m + (4 m/s2)(100 s2)
x = 250 m + 400 m
x = 650 m

13. A car accelerates from 4 m/s reaches a velocity of 28 m/s after traveling for 64m. What is the
acceleration of the car?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 4 m/s; v = 28 m/s; x = 64 m
Find: a = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - v02 = 2ax
(v2 - v02) / 2x = a
((28 m/s)2 - (4 m/s)2) / 2(64 m) = a
(784 m2/s2 - 16 m2/s2) / 128 m = a
768 m2/s2 / 128 m = a
6 m/s2 = a

14. A car deccelerates from 49 m/s reaches a velocity of 0 m/s after traveling for 7 m. What is the
deceleration of the car?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 49 m/s; v = 0 m/s; x = 7 m
Find: a = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - v02 = 2ax
(v2 - v02) / 2x = a
((0 m/s)2 - (49 m/s)2) / 2(7 m) = a
(-2401 m2/s2) / 14 m = a
171.5 m/s2 = a

15. A motorcycle has a uniform acceleration of 4 m/s2. Assume the motorcycle has an initial velocity
of 20 m/s. Determine the velocity and displacement at the end of 12 s.
Solution:
Given: a = 4 m/s2; v0 = 20 m/s; t = 12 s
Find: v = ?

v = v0 + at
v = 20 m/s + (4 m/s2)(12 s)
v = 20 m/s + 48 m/s
v = 68 m/s

16. A car begins to move from rest. The velocity of the car increases at a rate of 4 m/s. Find the
distance traveled by the car after 12 second.
Solution:
Given: v = 0 m/s; a = 4 m/s2; t = 12 s
18
 Find: x = ?
x = v0t + at2
x = 0 m/s(12 s) + (4 m/s2)(12 s)2
x = (2 m/s2)(144 s2)
x = 288 m

17. A motorcycle, travelling East, starts from rest, moves in a straight line with a constant
acceleration and covers a distance of 64 m in 4 s. Calculate
a. Its acceleration
b. Its final velocity
c. At what time the motorcycle had covered half the total distance
d. What is the distance the motorcycle covers in half the total time.
Solution:
Given: v0 = 0 m/s; x = 64 m; t = 4 s
a. x = v0t + at2
64 m = (0 m/s)(4 s) + a(4 s)2
64 m = a(16 s2)
128 m = a(16 s2)
128 m / 16 s2 = a
8 m/s2 = a
b. x = (v0 + v)t
x = (v0 + v)t
2x = (v0 + v)t
2x / t = v0 + v
(2x / t) - v0 = v
(2(64 m) / 4 s) - 0 m/s = v
128 m / 4 s = v
32 m/s = v
c. x / 2 = v0t + at2
32 m = (0 m/s)t + (8 m/s2)t2
32 m = (4 m/s2)t2
32 m / 4 m/s2 = t2
8 s2 = t2
2.83 s = t
d. x = v0t + at2
x = (0 m/s)(4 s) + (8 m/s2)(2 s)2
x = (4 m/s2)(4 s2)
x = 16 m

18. A body is accelerated uniformly from rest and in the first 6.0 s of its motion it travels 30 m. Find
a. the average speed for this period of 6 s,
b. the speed at the end of this period,
c. the acceleration
Solution:
a. vavg = x / t
vavg = 30 m /6 s
vavg = 5 m/s
b. x = (v0 + v)t
19
 2x = (v0 + v)t
2x / t = v0 + v
2x - v0t / t = v
[2(30 m) - (0 m/s)(6 s)] / 6 s = v
60 m / 6 s = v
10 m/s = v
c. x = v0t + at2
x - v0t = at2
2(x - v0t) = at2
2(x - v0t) / t2 = a
2(30 m - 0 m/s(6 s)) / (6 s)2 = a
60 m / 36 s2 = a
1.667 m/s2 = a

19. A truck is travelling at a constant velocity of 10 m/s when the driver sees a child 50 m in front of
him in the road. He hits the brakes to stop the truck. The truck accelerates at a rate of 1.25 m/s2.
His reaction time to hit the brakes is 0.5 seconds. Will the truck hit the child?
Solution:
Distance covered during reaction time:
x1 = vt
x1 = (10 m/s)(0.5 s)
x1 = 5 m

Time to come to a halt:

v = v0 + at
v - v0 = at
(v - v0) / a = t
(0 m/s - 10 m/s) / -1.25 m/s2 = t
-10 m/s / -1.25 m/s2 = t
8 s = t

Distance covered in that time:

x2 = (v0 + v)t
x2 = (10 m/s + 0 m/s)(8 s)
x2 = (10 m/s)(4 s)
x2 = 40 m

Total distance = x1 + x2 = 5 m + 40 m = 45 m
No. The truck will not hit the child

20. A car starts from rest and accelerates at a constant acceleration of 3 m/s2 for 10 seconds. The car
then travels at a constant velocity for 5 seconds. The brakes are then applied and the car stops in 5
seconds. What is the total distance traveled by the car?
Solution:
The problem can be solved in three parts
x1 = v0t + at2
x1 = 0 m/s2(10 s) + (3 m/s2)(10 s)2
x1 = (1.5 m/s2)(100 s2)
20
 x1 = 150 m

v = v0 + at
v = (0 m/s) + (3 m/s2)(10 s)
v = 30 m/s

x2 = vt
x2 = (30 m/s)(5 s)
x2 = 150 m

x3 = (v0 + v)t
x3 = (30 m/s + 0 m/s)(5 s)
x3 = (15 m/s)(5 s)
x3 = 75 m

xtotal = x1 + x2 + x3
xtotal = 150 m + 150 m + 75 m
xtotal = 375 m

21. Zulkifli starts driving his car from home with a constant acceleration and reaches a velocity of 30
m/s in 6.0 seconds. Find
a. the acceleration of Zulkifli's car.
b. the displacement of Zulkifli's car 5.0 seconds after it started moving.
c. the displacement of Zulkifli's car in the fifth second.
d. velocity of Zulkifli's car at time t = 4.0 seconds?
e. velocity of Zulkifli's car after moving 30.0 meters from the starting point.
Solution:
a. v = v0 + at
v - v0 = at
(v - v0) / t = a
(30 m/s - 0 m/s) / 6 = a
5 m/s2 = a
b. x = v0t + at2
x = 0 m/s + (5 m/s2)(5.0 s)2
x = 0 m/s + (5 m/s2)(5.0 s)2
x = (2.5 m/s2)(5.0 s)2
x = (2.5 m/s2)(25.0 s2)
x = 62.5 m
c. x = v0t + at2
x = 0 m/s(4 s) + (5 m/s2)(4 s)2
x = (2.5 m/s2)(16 s2)
x = 40 m

xfifth second = 62.5 m - 40 m = 22.5 m

d. v = v0 + at
v = 0 m/s + (5 m/s2)(4 s)
v = 20 m/s
e. v2 = v02 + 2ax
21
 v2 = (0 m/s)2 + 2(5 m/s2)(30 m)
v2 = (10 m/s2)(30 m)
v2 = (300 m2/s2)
v = 17.32 m/s

22. What is the acceleration of a car whose speed increases uniformly from 15 m/s to 25 m/s in 5s?
Solution:
v = v0 + at
25 m/s = 15 m/s + a(5s)
(25 m/s - 15 m/s) = a(5s)
(25 m/s - 15 m/s) / 5s = a
10 m/s / 5s = a
2 m/s2 = a

23. An airplane flying 60 m/s is accelerated uniformly at the rate of 0.5 m/s2. What is its velocity at
the end of 10s?
Solution:
v = v0 + at
v = 60 m/s + (0.5 m/s2)(10s)
v = 60 m/s + 5 m/s
v = 65 m/s

24. A plane flying at 80 m/s is uniformly accelerated at the rate of 2.0 m/s2 . What is the distance it
will travel during a 10s interval after acceleration begins?
Solution:
x = v0t + at2
x = (80 m/s)(10s) + (2.0 m/s2)(10s)2
x = 800 m + (200 m)
x = 800 m + 100 m
x = 900 m

25. A stone dropped from a cliff hits the ground 3.00s later. Assuming the acceleration due to gravity
is 9.81 m/s2 , find
a. The velocity of the stone the instant before it hits the ground
b. The displacement experienced by the stone in its fall
Solution:
a. v = v0 + at
v = 0 m/s + (9.81 m/s2)(3.00 s)
v = 29.43 m/s
b. x = v0t + at2
x = 0 m/s(3.00 s) + (9.81 m/s2)(3.00 s)2
x = (9.81 m/s2)(9 s2)
x = (88.29 m)
x = 44.145 44.15 m

26. You are driving along the street at the speed limit (35 mph) and 50 meters before reaching a
traffic light you notice it becoming yellow. You accelerate to make the traffic light within the 3
seconds it takes for it to turn red. What is your speed as you cross the intersection? Assume that
22
 the acceleration is constant and that there is no air resistance.
Solution:
v0 = 35 mi/h * 5280 ft/mi * 12 in/ft * 2.54 cm/in * 1 m/100 cm * 1 h/3600 s = 15.65 m/s
x = v0t + at2
x - v0t = at2
2(x - v0t) = at2
2(x - v0t) / t2 = a
2(50 m - 15.65 m/s(3 s)) / (3 s)2 = a
2(50 m - 46.95 m) / 9 s2 = a
2(3.05 m) / 9 s2 = a
6.10 m /9 s2 = a
0.68 m/s2 = a

v = v0 + at
v = 15.65 m/s + 0.68 m/s2(3.00 s)
v = 15.65 m/s + 2.04 m/s
v = 17.69 m/s

27. A cyclist is traveling at 12.0 m/s when he applies the brakes and begins to slow. After 4.5 s the
cyclist has slowed to 3.0 m/s. What was the cyclists (a) acceleration (assume it was constant)?,
and (b) the distance traveled in this time?
Solution:
a. v = v0 + at
v - v0 = at
(v - v0) / t = a
(3.0 m/s - 12.0 m/s) / 4.5 s = a
-9.0 m/s / 4.5 s = a
-2.0 m/s2 = a
b. x = ((v0 + v) / 2)t
x = ((12 m/s + 3 m/s) / 2)(4.5 s)
x = ((15 m/s) / 2)(4.5 s)
x = (7.5 m/s)(4.5 s)
x = 33.75 m
28. A truck driver travels at 90.0 km/h down a highway when he sees a deer cross in front of him
down the road. He hits the brakes with a reaction time of 0.750 s and begins to slow down (at a
constant rate) of 5.50 m/s2 . Reacting to the horn, the deer yielded and the truck driver was able to
disengage the brake- his speed at that time was 45.0 km/h.
a. How far from the moment he saw the deer to when the brakes were disengaged did the
truck travel?
b. How long was the truck braking?
Solution:
v0 = 90 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/ 3600s = 25 m/s; v = 45 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/ 3600s = 12.5
m/s
a. v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - v02 = 2ax
(v2 - v02) / 2a = x
((12.5 m/s)2 - (25 m/s)2) / 2(-5.50 m/s2) = x
((156.25 m2/s2 - 625 m2/s2) / 2(-5.50 m/s2) = x
23
 (-468.75 m2/s2) / (-11 m/s2) = x
42.61 m = x
b. v = v0 + at
v - v0 = at
(v - v0) / a = t
(12.5 m/s - 25 m/s) / -5.50 m/s2 = t
(-12.5 m/s) / -5.50 m/s2 = t
2.27 s = t

29. Accident investigators at the scene of an accident find skid marks 100 meters long. If the
deceleration rate for the car is 6 m/s2,
a. What minimum speed must the car have had before it started braking?
b. How much time did it take for the car to stop?
Solution:
Given: x = 100 m; a = -6 m/s2; v = 0 m/s (implied)
Find: v0 = ?; t = ?
a. v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - 2ax = v02
v2 2ax = v0

(0 m/s) 2
2( 6 m/s2)(100 m) = v0
(1200 m2/s2) = v0
34.64 m/s = v0
b. x = (v0 + v)t
2x = (v0 + v)t
2x / (v0 + v) = t
2(100 m) / (34.64 m/s + 0 m/s) = t
200 m / 34.64 m/s = t
5.77 s = t

30. A motorbike joins a motorway traveling at 10 m/s , and increases speed to 30 m/s with a constant
acceleration of 1.25 m/s2 along the straight road.
a. How much time does this take
b. How far does the bike travel in this time?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 10 m/s; v = 30 m/s; a = 1.25 m/s2
Find: t = ?

a. v = v0 + at
v - v0 = at
(v - v0) / a = t
(30 m/s - 10 m/s) / (1.25 m/s2) = t
(20 m/s) / (1.25 m/s2) = t
16 s = t
b. x = (v0 + v)t
x = (10 m/s + 30 m/s)(16 s)
x = (40 m/s)(16 s)
x = (640 m)
24
 x = 320 m

31. The driver of a car traveling along a straight road sees that the traffic lights, 40 metres away, have
turned to red. Given that after 4 seconds the car stops exactly at the traffic lights, what is the
deceleration of the car?
Solution:
Given: x = 40 m; t = 4s; v = 0 m/s (implied)
Find: a = ?

For this we use the lesser known fifth kinematic equation: x = v - at2
x = vt - at2
x - vt = at2
2(x - vt) = at2
2(x - vt) / t2 = a
2(40 m - (0 m/s)(4 s)) / (4 s)2 = a
2(40 m - (0 m/s)(4 s)) / (4 s)2 = a
2(40 m) / 16 s2 = a
80 m / 16 s2 = a
5 m/s2 = a

32. A bus traveling along a straight road accelerates at 2 m/s2 , for 4 seconds, covering a distance of
44 metres. After the 4 seconds what velocity is the bus traveling at?
Solution:
Given: a = 2 m/s2; t = 4 s; x = 44 m
Find: v = ?

x = vt - at2
x + at2 = vt
(x + at2) / t = v
(44 m + (2 m/s2)(4 s)2) / 4 s = v
(44 m + (1 m/s2)(16 s2)) / 4 s = v
(44 m + 16 m) / 4 s = v
60 m / 4 s = v
15 m/s = v

33. A rowing boat crosses the finish line at 12 m/s and carries on in a straight line. If it immediately
decelerates at 4 m/s2 until it comes to rest, how far past the finish line will the rowing boat come
to a stop?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 12 m/s; a = -4 m/s2; v = 0 m/s
Find: x = ?

v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - v02 = 2ax
(v2 - v02) / 2a = x
((0 m/s)2 - (12 m/s)2) / 2(-4 m/s2) = x
( - (144 m2/s2) / (-8 m/s2)) = x
18 m = x
25
34. During the middle of an 800 metre race an athlete running at 6.8 m/s constantly accelerates, along
part of the straight, to 8 m/s in order to get in a better position for the final lap. Given this took 2
seconds, what distance did the athlete cover in this time?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 6.8 m/s; v = 8 m/s; t = 2 s
Find: x
x = (v0 + v)t
x = (6.8 m/s + 8 m/s)(2 s)
x = (14.8 m/s)(2 s)
x = 14.8 m

35. A train leaves a station from rest and travels along a straight track. If after 20 seconds the train is
500 metres from the station, what is the acceleration of the train?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 0 m/s; t = 20 s; x = 500 m
Find: a = ?
x = v0t + at2
x - v0t = at2
2(x - v0t) = at2
2(x - v0t) / t2 = a
2(500 m - (0 m/s)(20 s)) / (20 s)2 = a
2(500 m) / (400 s2) = a
1000 m / 400 s = a
2.5 m/s2 = a

36. A lift at the ground floor rises vertically from rest with constant a acceleration of 0.6 m/s2. If it
passes the first floor at 1.8 m/s, how high is the first floor?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 0 m/s; a = 0.6 m/s2; v = 1.8 m/s
Find: x = ?

v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - v02 = 2ax
(v2 - v02) / 2a = x
( (1.8 m/s)2 - (0 m/s)2 ) / 2(0.6 m/s2) = x
( (3.24 m2/s2) ) / (1.2 m/s2) = x
2.7 m = x

37. An investigator arrives at the scene of a car crash. From the skid marks he deduces that it took the
car a distance of 55 meters to come to a halt. Assume full braking (a = -10 m/s). Was the car
initially above the speed limit of 30 m/s?
Solution:
Given: x = 55 m; v = 0 m/s; a = -10 m/s2
Find: v0 = ? We will need to determine if the initial velocity of the car was above 30 m/s

v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - 2ax = v02
26
 v2 2ax = v0
0 m/s 2( 10 m/s2)(55 m) = v0
(20 m/s2)(55 m) = v0
1100 m2/s2 = v0
33.17 m/s = v0

Yes. The driver was initially going at a speed higher than 30 m/s

38. From rest, a car accelerates at 8 m/s2 for 10 seconds.

a. What is the position of the car at the end of the 10 seconds?
b. What is the velocity of the car at the end of 10 seconds?
Solution:
a. The car starts from rest therefore the initial speed is v0 = 0. Nothing is said about the
initial position and we therefore assume it is equal to 0. Hence the position x is given by
the equation x = at2 where a is the acceleration (= 8 m/s2) and t is the period of time
between initial and final positions x = (8 m/s2)(10s)2 = 400 m
b. The velocity v of the car at the end of the 10 seconds is given by v =at = (8 m/s2)(10s) =
80 m/s

39. With an initial velocity of 20 km/s, a car accelerated at 8 m/s2 for 10 seconds.
a. What is the position of the car at the end of 10 seconds?
b. What is the velocity of the car at the end of 10 seconds?
Solution:
a. The car has an initial velocity of 20 km/h, therefore the initial speed v0 = 20 km/h.
Nothing is said about the initial position and we therefore assume it is equal to 0. Hence
the position x is given by the equation:
x = v0t + at2
where a is the acceleration (= 8 m/s2) and t is the period of time between the initial and
final positions and v0 is the initial velocity.

Since the time is given in seconds, we need to convert 20 km/h into m/s as follows:
20 km/h * 1000 m/ 1 km * 1 hour/ 3600 s = 5.6 m/s

We now have:
x = (5.6 m/s)(10s) + ()(8 m/s2)(10s)2

b. v = v0 + at = 5.6 m/s + (8 m/s2)(10s) = 85.6 m/s

40. A car accelerates uniformly from 0 km/h to 72 km/h in 11.5 seconds.

a. What is the acceleration of the car in m/s2?
b. What is the position of the car by the time it reaches the velocity of 72 km/h?
Solution:
a. The acceleration a is a measure of the rate of change of the velocity within a period of
time. Hence,
a = v/t = (v - v0)/t = (72 km/h - 0 km/h)/11.5s
We now convert 72 km/h into m/s,
v0 = 72 km/h = 72 km/h * 1000 m/1 km * 1 hour/ 3600 s = 20 m/s

27
 We now calculate a:
a = (20 m/s)/(11.5 s) = 1.74 m/s2 (approximately)
b. Two ways to find the position x:
i. x = (v + v 0)t
x = (v + v 0)t = (20 m/s + 0 m/s)*11.5s = 115 m
ii. x = v0 + at2
x = v0 + at2 = (0 m/s)(11.5s) + (1.74 m/s2)(11.5s)2 = 115 m

41. An object is thrown straight down from the top of a building at a speed of 20 m/s. It hits the
ground with a speed of 40 m/s.
a. How high is the building?
b. How long was the object in the air?
Solution:
a. We consider that the direction from ground up is the positive direction of the falling
object. We are given the initial (-20 m/s) and final velocities(-40 m/s); the minus sign was
added to take into account the fact that the falling object is moving in the negative
direction. We know the gravitational acceleration (g = -9.81 m/s2) acting on the falling
object and we are asked to find the height of the building. If we consider the position of
the object as being x (with x = 0 on the ground), then we may use the equation relating
the initial and final velocities v0 and v, the acceleration a and the initial (x0 which is the
height of the building) and final (x on the ground) positions as follows:
v2 = v0 + 2ax
(-40 m/s)2 = (-20 m/s)2 + 2(-9.81 m/s2)(0 - x0)

Solve the above for x0:

(-40 m/s)2 - (-20 m/s)2 = 2(-9.81 m/s2)(0 - x0)
((-40 m/s)2 - (-20 m/s)2)/ 2(-9.81 m/s2) = -x0
(1200 m2/s2)/(-19.62 m/s2) = -x0
-61.2 m = -x0
61.2 m = x0
b. x = (v0 + v)t
0 m - 61.2 m = (-20 m/s + (-40 m/s))t
t = -61.2 m / (-20 m/s + (-40 m/s))
t = -61.2 m / -30 m/s
T = 2.04s
42. A train brakes from 40 m/s to a stop over a distance of 100 m.
a. What is the acceleration of the train?
b. How much time does it take the train to stop?
Solution:
a. We are given the initial velocity v0 = 40 m/s, the final velocity v = 0 m/s (train stops) and
the distance. Hence the formula that relates these three quantities and the acceleration is
given by:
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(0 m/s)2 = (40 m/s)2 + 2a(100 m)
Solve for the acceleration a:
-1600 m2/s2 = a(200 m)
-1600 m2/s2 / 200 m = a
-8 m/s2 = a
28
 b. There are two ways to find the time:
i. x = (v + v 0)t
100 m = (0 m/s + 40 m/s)t
100 m / (0 m/s + 40 m/s) = t
100 m / 20 m/s = t
5 s = t
ii. x = v0t + at2
100 m = (40 m/s)t + (-8 m/s2)t2
100 m - (40 m/s)t + (4 m/s2)t2 = 0
(4 m/s2)t2 - (40 m/s)t + 100 m = 0
4t2 - 40t + 100 = 0
4 (t2 - 10t + 25) = 0
4(t - 5)2 = 0
t=5s
43. A boy on a bicycle increases his velocity from 5 m/s to 20 m/s in 10 seconds.
a. What is the acceleration of the bicycle?
b. What distance was covered by the bicycle during the 10 seconds?
Solution:
a. In this problem the initial velocity v0 = 5 m/s and the final velocity v = 20 m/s. The
acceleration a of the bicycle is the rate of change of the velocity and is given as follows:
a = (v - v0)/t = (20 m/s - 5 m/s)/10 s = 1.5 m/s2
b. There are two ways to find the distance covered by the bicycle angle in t = 10 s.
i. x = (v + v 0)t = (20 m/s + 5 m/s) (10 s) = 125 m
ii. x = v0t + at2 = (5 m/s)(10s) + (1.5 m/s2)(10 s)2 = 50 m + (1.5 m/s2)(100 s2)
x = 50 m + 75 m = 125 m
44.
a. How long does it take an airplane to take off if it needs to reach a speed on the ground of
350 km/h over a distance of 600 meters (assume the plane starts from rest)?
b. What is the acceleration of the airplane at 600 m?
Solutions:
a. In this problem the initial velocity v0 = 0 m/s (assumed because it is not given), the final
velocity v = 350 km/h and the distance x = 600 m = 0.6 km
The relationship between the given quantities is:
x = (v + v0)t
0.6 km = (350 km/h + 0 km/h)t
Solve for t:
t = 0.6 km / (350 km/h + 0 km/h) = (0.6 km / 175 km/h) * 3600 s / 1 hour = 12.3 s
b. The acceleration a of the airplane is given by:
a = (v - v0)/t = 350 km/h / 12.3s
Convert 35. km/h into m/s
350 km/h = 350000 m / 3600s = 97.2 m/s
a = (97.2 m/s) / 12.3 s = 8 m/s2 (to the nearest unit)

45. Starting from a distance of 20 meters to the left of the origin and at a velocity of 10 m/s, as an
object accelerates to the right of the origin for 5 seconds at 4 m/s2. What is the position of the
object at the end of the 5 seconds of acceleration?
Solution:
In this problem, we may consider that the direction of the object is the positive direction and the
29
 initial position x0 = -20 meters (to the left of the origin), the initial velocity v0 = 10 m/s, the
acceleration a = 4 m/s2 and the time t = 5 s. The position is given by:
x = x0 + v0t + at2 = -20 m + 10 m/s(5s) + (4 m/s2)(5s)2 = 80 m to the right of the origin

46. What is the smallest distance, in meters, needed for an airplane touching the runway with a
velocity of 360 km/h and an acceleration of -10 m/s2 to come to rest?
Solution:
In this problem the initial velocity v0 = 360 km/h, the final velocity v = 0 km/h (rest) and the
acceleration a = -10 m/s2. The distance x can be calculated using the formula:
v2 = v02 + 2ax
Convert the 360 km/h into m/s: 360 km/h = 360000 m / 3600 s = 100 m/s
x = (v2 - v02)/2a = (0 - (100 m/s)2) / (2)(-10 m/s2) = (-10000 m2/s2) / (-20 m/s2) = 500 m

47. To approximate the height of a water well, Martha and John drop a heavy rock into the well. 8
seconds after the rock is dropped, they hear a splash caused by the impact of the rock on the
water. What is the height of the well? (Speed of sound in air is 340 m/s)
Solution:
In this problem we have:
I. a rock was dropped down the well and is uniformly accelerated downward due to gravity. If h is
the height of the well and t is the time taken by the rock to reach the bottom of the well, then we
have
h = (9.81 m/s2)t2
II. After the splash, the sound travels up the well at a constant speed of 340 m/s. Again the same
height h of the well is given by h = (340 m/s)(8s - t): 8 - t is the time taken for the sound to travel
from the bottom to the top where the sound is heard.
The equations above give:
(9.81 m/s2)t2 = (340 m/s)(8s - t)
(4.905 m/s2)t2 = 2720 m - (340 m/s)t
(4.905 m/s2)t2 + (340 m/s)t - 2720 m = 0
4.905t2 + 340t - 2720 = 0

Solve for t, two solutions:

t = 7.24 s and the second solution is negative and therefore not valid.

The height h of the well is calculated using one of the above equations:
h = (340 m/s)(8s - t) = (340 m/s)(8s - 7.24s) = (340 m/s)(0.76s) = 258.4 meters

48. A rock is thrown straight up and reaches a height of 10 m.

a. How long was the rock in the air?
b. What is the initial velocity of the rock?
Solutions:
a. In this problem the rock has an initial velocity v0. When the rock reaches a height of 10
m, it returns down to earth and the velocity v = 0 when x = 10 meters. Hence,
v = v0 + (-9.81 m/s2)t
0 = v0 + (-9.81 m/s2)t
v0 = (9.81 m/s2)t
x = ((9.81 m/s2)t + 0 m/s)t = (4.905 m/s2)t2 = 4.905t2
10 m = 4.9t2
30
 1.43s = t
b. v0 = (9.81 m/s2)t = (9.81 m/s2)(1.43s) = 14.028 m/s

49. A car accelerates from rest at 1.0 m/s2 for 20.0 seconds along a straight road. It then moves at a
constant speed for half an hour. It then decelerates uniformly to a stop in 30.0 s. FInd the total
distance covered by the car.
Solution:
The car goes through three stages:
Stage 1: acceleration a = 1 m/s2, initial velocity = 0 m/s/, t = 20s. Hence the distance x is given by
x = at2 = (1 m/s2)(20s)2 = 200 m
Stage 2: constant speed v is the speed at the end of stage 1.
v = at = (1 m/s2)(20s) = 20 m/s
x = vt = (20 m/s)( hour) = (20 m/s)( hour * 3600s/1hour) = (20 m/s)(1800 s) = 36000 m
Stage 3: deceleration to a stop, hence v0 = 20 m/s and v = 0 m/s (stop)
x = (v0 + v)t = (20 m/s + 0 m/s)(30 s) = 300 m

Total distance = 200 m + 36000 m + 300 m = 36500 m

50. A car was travelling at a speed of 70 km/h, the driver saw a rabbit on the road and slammed on
the breaks. After 6.0 seconds the car came to a halt. How far did the car travel from the point
where the brakes were first pressed to the point where the car stopped?
Solution:
We are given: vi = 70 km/h = 19.4 m/s; vf = 0 km/h; t = 6s; d = ?.
Our formula x = (v + v i)t or d = (vf + v i)t
d = (vf + vi)t
d = (19.4 m/s + 0 m/s)(6s) = 58.332 m
The car stopped after 8 m

51. Bill jogs at 6.0 km/h, he then decides to accelerate into run. Bill accelerates at 0.030 km/s2 as he
as he runs through a distance of 40 m. What is Bills final speed?
Solution:
First we convert our given information into a uniform set of magnitudes; meters per seconds. We
are given:
v0 = 6.0 km/h = 1.6 m/s
v=?
x = 40 m
a = 0.0003 km/s2 = 0.3 m/s2
Lets rearrange our uniform acceleration equations to eliminate the time, which we are not given
v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 = (1.6 m/s)2 + 2(0.3 m/s2)(40 m)
v2 = 26.6 m2/s2
v = 5.2 m/s
v = 18.5 km/h
After accelerating Bill ends up running at 18 km/h

52. In performing a dismount off the high bar (3.048 meters above the ground), a gymnasts center of
gravity reaches a height above the bar, 2.5 m. Find:
a. What was the gymnasts takeoff velocity?
31
 b. What was the velocity of the gymnast at landing?
Solution:
Given: hbat = 3.048 m; hg = 2.5 m; a = 9.81m/s2; v0 = 0 m/s
Find: v1 = ? (velocity at takeoff); v2 = ? (velocity at landing)

v v
v1 = 2 + 2ahg v2 = 2 + 2a(hbat + hg)
0 0

(0 m/s) v
2 v2 = 2 + 2(9.81 m/s2)(3.048 m + 2.5 m)
v1 = + 2(9.81 m/s2)(2.5 m) 0

v1 = 49.05 m2/s2 v1 = 108.852 m2/s2

v1 = 7.004 m/s2 v2 = 10.433 m/s2

53. An airplane accelerates down a runway at 3.20 m/s2 for 32.8 s until is finally lifts off the ground.
Determine the distance traveled before takeoff
Solution:
Given: a = 3.2 m/s2; t = 32.8 s; v0 = 0 m/s
Find: x = ?
x = v0t + at2
x = (0 m/s)(32.8s) + (3.2 m/s2)(32.8s)2
x = (1.6 m/s2)(1075.84s2)
x = 1721.344 m

54. A car starts from rest and accelerates uniformly over a time of 5.21 seconds for a distance of 110
m. Determine the acceleration of the car.
Solution:
Given: x = 110 m; t = 5.21s; v0 = 0 m/s
Find: a = ?
x = v0t + at2
110 m = (0 m/s)(5.21 s)+ a(5.21 s)2
110 m = (13.57 s2)a
110 m/13.57 s2 = a
8.10 m/s2 = a

55. Upton Chuck is riding the Giant Drop at Great America. If Upton free falls for 2.60 seconds, what
will be his final velocity and how far will he fall?
Solution:
Given: a = -9.81 m/s2; t = 2.6s; v0 = 0 m/s
Find: x = ?; vf = ?
x = v0t + at2
x = (0 m/s)(2.60 s)+ (-9.81 m/s2)(2.60 s)2
x = (-9.81 m/s2)(6.76 s2)
x = -33.16 m

vf = (0 m/s) + (-9.81 m/s2)(2.60 s)

vf = -25.506 m/s

32
56. A race car accelerates uniformly from 18.5 m/s to 46.1 m/s in 2.47 seconds. Determine the
acceleration of the car and the distance traveled.
Solution:
Given: v0 = 18.5 m/s; v = 46.1 m/s; t = 2.47 s
Find: x = ?; a = ?
a = v/t
a = (46.1 m/s - 18.5 m/s)/(2.47 s)
a = 11.2 m/s2

x = v0t + at2
x = (18.5 m/s)(2.47 s)+ (11.2 m/s2)(2.47 s)2
x = 45.7 m + 34.1 m
x = 79.8 m

57. A feather is dropped on the moon from a height of 1.40 meters. The acceleration of gravity on the
moon is 1.67 m/s2. Determine the time for the feather to fall to the surface of the moon.
Solution:
Given: v0 = 0 m/s; x = -1.40 m; a = -1.67 m/s2
Find: t = ?
x = v0t + at2
-1.40 m = (0 m/s)t + (-1.67 m/s2)t2
-1.40 m = 0 + (-0.835 m/s2)t2
-1.40 m / -0.835 m/s2 = t2
1.68 s2 = t2
t = 1.29s

58. Rocket-powered sleds are used to test the human response to acceleration. If a rocket-powered
sled is accelerated to a speed of 444 m/s in 1.83 seconds, then what is the acceleration and what is
the distance that the sled travels?
Solution:
Given: 0 m/s; v = 444 m/d; t = 1.83 s;
Find: a = ?; x = ?
a = v/t
a = (444 m/s - 0 m/s) / (1.83 s)
a = 243 m/s2
x = v0t + at2
x = (0 m/s)(1.83 s) + (243 m/s2)(1.83 s)2
x = 0 m + 406 m
x = 406 m

59. A bike accelerates uniformly from rest to a speed of 7.10 m/s over a distance of 35.4 m.
Determine the acceleration of the bike.
Solution:
Given: v0 = 0 m/s; v = 7.10 m/s; x = 35.4 m
Find: a = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(7.10 m/s)2 = (0 m/s)2 + 2a(35.4 m)
33
 50.4 m2/s2 = (0 m/s)2 + (70.8 m)a
50.4 m2/s2 / 70.8 m = a
a = 0.712 m/s2

60. An engineer is designing the runway for an airport. Of the planes that will use the airport, the
lowest acceleration rate is likely to be 3 m/s2. The takeoff speed for this plane will be 65 m/s.
Assuming this minimum acceleration, what is the minimum allowed length for the runway?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 0 m/s; v = 65 m/s; a = 3 m/s2
Find: x = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(65 m/s)2 = (0 m/s)2 + 2(3 m/s2)x
4225 m2/s2 = (0 m/s)2 + (6 m/s2)x
(4225 m2/s2) / (6 m/s2) = x
x = 704 m

61. A car traveling at 22.4 m/s skids to a stop in 2.55 s. Determine the skidding distance of the car
(assume uniform acceleration).
Solution:
Given: v0 = 22.4 m/s; v = 0 m/s; t = 2.55 s
Find: x = ?;
x = ((v0 + v)/2)t
x = ((22.4 m/s + 0 m/s)/2)(2.55 s)
x = (11.2 m/s)(2.55 s)
x = 28.6 m

62. A kangaroo is capable of jumping to a height of 2.62 m. Determine the takeoff speed of the
kangaroo.
Solution:
Given: a = -9.81 m/s2; v = 0 m/s; x = 2.62 m
Find: v0 = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(0 m/s)2 = v02 + 2(-9.81 m/s2)(2.62 m)
0 m2/s2 = v02 - 51.35 m2/s2
51.35 m2/s2 = v02
v0 = 7.17 m/s

63. If Michael Jordan has a vertical leap of 1.29 m, then what is his takeoff speed and his hang time
(total time to move uwards to the peak and then return to the ground)?
Solution:
Given: a = -9.81 m/s2; v = 0 m/s; x = 1.29 m
Find: v0 = ?; t = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(0 m/s)2 = v02 + 2(-9.81 m/s2)(1.29 m)
0 m2/s2 = v02 - 25.28 m2/s2
25.28 m2/s2 = v02
v0 = 5.03 m/s
To find hang time, find the time to the peak and then double it
34
 v = v0 + at
0 m/s = 5.03 m/s + (-9.81 m/s2)tup
-5.03 m/s = (-9.81 m/s2)tup
(-5.03 m/s) / (-9.81 m/s2) = tup
tup = 0.513 s
Hang time = 0.513 s

64. A bullet leaves a rifle with a muzzle velocity of 521 m/s. While accelerating through the barrel of
the rifle, the bullet moves a distance of 0.840 m. Determine the acceleration of the bullet (assume
a uniform acceleration).
Solution:
Given: v0 = 0 m/s; v = 521 m/s; x = 0.840 m
Find: a = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(521 m/s)2 = (0 m/s)2 + 2a(0.840 m)
271441 m2/s2 = (0 m/s)2 + (1.68 m)a
(271441 m2/s2) / (1.68 m) = a
a = 1.62*105 m/s2

65. A baseball is popped straight up into the air and has a hang-time of 6.25 s. Determine the height
to which the ball rises before it reaches its peak. (Hint: the time to rise to the peak is one-half the
total hang-time.)
Solution:
Given: a = -9.81 m/s2; v = 0 m/s; t = 3.13 s
Find: x = ?
(NOTE: the time required to move to the peak of the trajectory is one-half the total hang time -
3.125 s)
First use: v = v0 + at
0 m/s = v0 + (-9.81 m/s2)(3.13 s)
0 m/s = v0 - 30.7 m/s
v0 = 30.7 m/s
Now use: v2 = v02 + 2ax
(0 m/s)2 = (30.7 m/s)2 + 2(-9.81 m/s2)x
0 m2/s2 = (940 m2/s2) + (-19.6 m/s2)x
-940 m2/s2 = (-19.6 m/s2)x
(-940 m2/s2) / (-19.6 m/s2) = x
x = 48.0 m

66. The observation deck of tall skyscraper 370 m above the street. Determine the time required for a
penny to free fall from the deck to the street below.
Solution:
Given: v0 = 0 m/s; x = -370 m; a = -9.81 m/s2
Find: t = ?
x = v0t + at2
-370 m = (0 m/s)t+ (-9.8 m/s2)t2
-370 m = 0 + (-4.9 m/s2)t2
(-370 m) / (-4.9 m/s2) = t2
75.5 s2 = t2
35
 t = 8.69 s

67. A bullet is moving at a speed of 367 m/s when it embeds into a lump of moist clay. The bullet
penetrates for a distance of 0.0621 m. Determine the acceleration of the bullet while moving into
the clay. (Assume a uniform acceleration.)
Solution:
Given: v0 = 367 m/s; v = 0 m/s; x = 0.0621 m
Find: a = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(0 m/s)2 = (367 m/s)2 + 2a(0.0621 m)
0 m2/s2 = (134689 m2/s2) + (0.1242 m)a
-134689 m2/s2 = (0.1242 m)a
(-134689 m2/s2) / (0.1242 m) = a
a = -1.08*106 m /s2
(The - sign indicates that the bullet slowed down.)

68. A stone is dropped into a deep well and is heard to hit the water 3.41 s after being dropped.
Determine the depth of the well.
Solution:
Given: a = -9.81 m/s2; t = 3.41 s; v0 = 0 m/s
Find: x = ?
x = v0t + at2
x = (0 m/s)(3.41 s)+ (-9.8 m/s2)(3.41 s)2
x = 0 m + (-9.8 m/s2)(11.63 s2)
x = -57.0 m

69. It was once recorded that a Jaguar left skid marks that were 290 m in length. Assuming that the
Jaguar skidded to a stop with a constant acceleration of -3.90 m/s2, determine the speed of the
Jaguar before it began to skid.
Solution:
Given: a = -3.90 m/s2; v = 0 m/s; x = 290 m
Find: x0 = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(0 m/s)2 = v02 + 2(-3.90 m/s2)(290 m)
0 m2/s2 = v02 - 2262 m2/s2
2262 m2/s2 = v02
v0 = 47.6 m /s

70. A plane has a takeoff speed of 88.3 m/s and requires 1365 m to reach that speed. Determine the
acceleration of the plane and the time required to reach this speed.
Solution:
Given: v0 = 0 m/s; v = 88.3 m/s; x = 1365 m
Find: a = ?; t = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(88.3 m/s)2 = (0 m/s)2 + 2a(1365 m)
7797 m2/s2 = (0 m2/s2) + (2730 m)a
7797 m2/s2 = (2730 m)a
(7797 m2/s2)/(2730 m) = a
36
 a = 2.86 m/s2

v = v0 + at
88.3 m/s = 0 m/s + (2.86 m/s2)t
(88.3 m/s)/(2.86 m/s2) = t
t = 30. 8 s

71. A dragster accelerates to a speed of 112 m/s over a distance of 398 m. Determine the acceleration
(assume uniform) of the dragster.
Solution:
Given: v0 = 0 m/s; v = 112 m/s; x = 398 m
Find: a = ?
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(112 m/s)2 = (0 m/s)2 + 2a(398 m)
12544 m2/s2 = 0 m2/s2 + (796 m)a
12544 m2/s2 = (796 m)a
(12544 m2/s2)/(796 m) = a
a = 15.8 m/s2

72. With what speed in miles/hr (1 m/s = 2.23 mi/hr) must an object be thrown to reach a height of
91.5 m (equivalent to one football field)? Assume negligible air resistance.
Solution:
Given: a = -9.81 m/s2; v = 0 m/s; x = 91.5m
Find: v0 = ?; t = ?
First, find the speed in units of m/s
v2 = v02 + 2ax
(0 m/s)2 = v02 + 2(-9.8 m/s2)(91.5 m)
0 m2/s2 = v02 - 1793 m2/s2
1793 m2/s2 = v02
v0 = 42.3 m/s
Now convert from m/s to mi/hr:
v0 = (42.3 m/s) * (2.23 mi/hr) / (1 m/s)
v0 = 94.4 mi/hr

73. A car and a bus are traveling along the same straight road in neighboring lanes. The car has a
constant velocity of +25.0 m/s, and at t = 0 it is located 21 meters ahead of the bus. At time t = 0,
the bus has a velocity of +5.0 m/s and an acceleration of +2.0 m/s2. When does the bus pass the
car?
Solution;
Given: x0c = 21 m; x0b = 0 m; v0c = 25 m/s; v0b = 5.0 m/s; ac = 0 m/s2; ab = 2.0 m/s2
Find: t = ??
For the car: xc = x0c + v0ct + act2
xc = 21 m + (25 m/s)t + (0 m/s2)t2
xc = 21 m + (25 m/s)t

For the bus: xb = x0b + v0bt + abt2

xb = 0 m + (5.0 m/s)t + (2 m/s2)t2

37
 xb = (5.0 m/s)t + (1 m/s2)t2

The bus passes the car when the vehicles have the same position. At what time does xc = xb? Set
the two equations equal to one another and solve for this time (lets call it t1)

21 m + (25 m/s)t = (5.0 m/s)t + (1 m/s2)t2

Bringing everything to the left side gives: (1 m/s2)t2 - (20 m/s)t - 21 m = 0. We can solve this with
the quadratic equation, where a = 1.0 m/s2, b = -20 m/s and c = -21 m.

-b b2 4ac +(-20 m/s) (22 m/s)

t1 = =
-(-20 m/s) 400 m /s
2 2 ( 84 m2/s2 )
=
2a 2.0 m/s2 2.0 m/s2
The equation gives us two solutions for t1 = 21s or t1 = -1.0s. Clearly the answer we want is 21s.
The other number does not have a physical significance, however, so lets try to make some sense
of it. The negative answer represents the time at which the car would have passed the bus if the
motion conditions after t = 0 also applied to the period before t = 0.

74. A train stops at two stations A and B. It accelerates from rest from station A to a speed of 72
km/h in 3 minutes and maintains this speed for 30 minutes. It then decelerates for 5 minutes and
comes to rest at station B. Find the total distance between A and B
Solution:
There are three parts to this journey
First part:
v = 72 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600 s = 20 m/s; t = 3 min * 60 s/min = 180 s
x = (v0 + v)t
x = (0 m/s + 20 m/s)(180 s)
x = (20 m/s)(180 s)
x = (10 m/s)(180 s)
x = 1800 m
Second part:
v0 = 20 m/s; t = 30 min * 60 s/min = 1800 s (The velocity is constant for this time)
x = v0t = (20 m/s)(1800 s) = 36000 m
Third part:
v0 = 20 m/s; v = 0 m/s; t = 5 min * 60 s/min = 300 s
x = (v0 + v)t
x = (20 m/s + 0 m/s)(300 s)
x = (20 m/s)(300 s)
x = (10 m/s)(300 s)
x = 3000 m
Total displacement: xtotal = 1800 m + 36000 m + 3000 m = 40800 m or 40.8 km

75. A particle moving in a straight line with a constant acceleration covers 30 m in 5 seconds and 46
m in a further 4 seconds. How much further does it travel in the next 3 seconds?
Solution:
x = v0t + at2

38
 i. 30 m = v0(5 s) + a(5 s)2
30 m = v0(5 s) + a(25 s2)
30 m = v0(5 s) + a(12.5 s2)
6 m = v0 + a(2.5 s2)
ii. 76 m = v0(9 s) + a(9 s)2
76 m = v0(9 s) + a(81 s2)
76 m = v0(9 s) + a(40.5 s2)
8.44 m = v0 + a(4.5 s2)
ii - i = ii - i
8.44 m - 6 m = v0 + a(4.5 s2) - (v0 + a(2.5 s2))
2.44 m = a(4.5 s2) - a(2.5 s2)
2.44 m = a(2 s2)
2.44 m / 2 s2 = a
1.22 m/s2 = a

To find the initial velocity, we arrange one of the equations above:

30 m = v0(5 s) + (1.22 m/s2)(5 s)2
30 m = v0(5 s) + (1.22 m/s2)(25 s2)
30 m = v0(5 s) + (1.22 m/s2)(25 s2)
30 m = v0(5 s) + (30.5 m)
30 m = v0(5 s) + 15.25 m
30 m - 15.25 m = v0(5 s)
14.75 m / 5 s = v0
2.95 m/s = v0

To find the next distance:

x = v0t +at2
x = (2.95 m/s)(12 s) +(1.22 m/s2)(12 s)2
x = 35.4 m + (1.22 m/s2)(144 s2)
x = 35.4 m + (1.22 m/s2)(72 s2)
x = 35.4 m + 87.84 m
x = 123.24 m

Further distance traveled in three seconds: 123.24 m -76 m = 47.24 m

76. A car is brought to rest with uniform retardation. It travels 45 m in the first 3 seconds, and a
further 45 m in the next 4 seconds. Find:
a. The initial velocity
b. The deceleration
c. Total time to come to rest
Solution:
a. x = v0t + at2
i. 45 m = v0(3 s) + a(3 s)2
45 m = v0(3 s) + a(9 s2)
45 m = v0(3 s) + a(4.5 s2)
15 m = v0 + a(1.5 s2)`
ii. 90 m = v0(7 s) + a(7 s)2
90 m = v0(7 s) + a(49 s2)
90 m = v0(7 s) + a(24.5 s2)
39
 12.86 m = v0 + a(3.5 s2)

ii - i
12.86 m - 15 m = v0 + a(3.5 s2) - (v0 + a(1.5 s2))
-2.14 m = v0 + a (3.5 s2) - v0 - a(1.5 s2)
-2.14 m = a(3.5 s2) - a(1.5 s2)
-2.14 m = a(2.0 s2)
-2.14 m / 2.0 s2 = a
-1.07 m/s2 = a

To find the initial velocity, we rearrange one of the equations above

45 m = v0(3 s) + (-1.07 m/s2)(3 s)2
45 m = v0(3 s) + (-1.07 m/s2)(9 s2)
45 m = v0(3 s) + (-1.07 m/s2)(4.5 s2)
45 m - (-1.07 m/s2)(4.5 s2) = v0(3 s)
(45 m - (-1.07 m/s2)(4.5 s2)) / 3 s = v0
49.82 m / 3 s = v 0
16.61 m/s = v0

b. -1.07 m/s2

c. v = v0 + at
0 m/s = 16.61 m/s + (1.07 m/s2)t
-16.61 m/s = (-1.07 m/s2)t
(-16.61 m/s) / (-1.07 m/s2) = t
15.52 s = t

77. Let's say you're driving in your car, approaching a red light on Commonwealth Avenue. A black
Porsche is stopped at the light in the right lane, but there's no-one in the left lane, so you pull into
the left lane. You're traveling at 40 km/hr, and when you're 15 meters from the stop line the light
turns green. You sail through the green light at a constant speed of 40 km/hr and pass the Porsche,
which accelerated from rest at a constant rate of 3 m/s2 starting at the moment the light turned
green.
a. How far from the stop line do you pass the Porsche?
b. (b) When does the Porsche pass you?
c. (c) If a Boston police officer happens to get you and the Porsche on the radar gun at the
instant the Porsche passes you, will either of you be pulled over for speeding? Assume
the speed limit is 50 km/hr.
Solution:
40 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h / 3600 s = 11.11 m/s
a. For you:
x = v0t + at2
x - x0 = v0t + at2
x = x0 + v0t + at2
x = -15 m + (11.11 m/s)t + (0 m/s2)t2
x = -15 m + (11.11 m/s)t

For the Porsche:

40
 x = x0 + v0t + at2
x = 0 m + (0 m/s)t + (3 m/s2)t2
x = (1.5 m/s2)t2

(1.5 m/s2)t2 = -15 m + (11.11 m/s)t

0 = (1.5 m/s2)t2 - (11.11 m/s)t + 15 m
This is a quadratic equation which we can solve using the quadratic formula

t =
-11.11 11.11 2
4(1.5)(15)
= 1.776 s or 5.631 s
2(1.5)
The smaller value is when you pass the Porsche, the larger value is the when the Porsche
passes you
We can now plug in the time to either equation to get the distance
x = -15 m + (11.11 m/s)(1.776 s) + (0 m/s2)(1.776 s)2
x = 4.73 m

x = 0 m + (0 m/s)(1.776 s) + (3 m/s2)(1.776 s)2

x = 4.73 m

b. We already found the answer to this at (a), t = 5.631 s

c. You wont be pulled over since we already know that you were going at a constant
velocity of 40 km/s. For the Porsche:
v = v0 + at
v = 0 m/s + (3 m/s2)(5.631 s)
v = 16.893 m/s * 1 km / 1000 m * 3600 s / 1h = 60.814 km/h
Because the velocity of the Porsche is more than the speed limit, it will be pulled over

78. A speed boat traveling at a constant velocity of 20m/s passes a police boat at rest. The police boat
starts 8 seconds after the speedboat passes at 2.3 m/s2 for 10 sec. When and where does the cop
catch the speedboat? (For this question, xf and xi are used to refer to the final and initial velocity
respectively in order to avoid ambiguity)
Solution:
Since the police boat starts only 8 seconds after the speed boat passes it and accelerates for 10
seconds, the speed boat would have some distance ahead of the police boat. So at 18 s, the speed
boat would be x away from where the boat was at rest
xspeed boat = vt
xspeed boat = (20 m/s)(18 s)
xspeed boat = 360 m

When the police boat accelerates, it does so for 2.3 m/s2 for 10 seconds. This means
vpolice boat = at
vpolice boat = (2.3 m/s2)(10 s)
vpolice boat = 23 m/s

Because the police boat only starts 8 seconds after it was passed by the speed boat, the distance it
covers in 18 seconds is the same as the distance it covers when it accelerates in 10 seconds

41
 xpolice boat = vit + at2
xpolice boat = 0 m/s(10 s) + (2.3 m/s2)(10 s)2
xpolice boat = (2.3 m/s2)(100 s2)
xpolice boat = (230 m)
xpolice boat = 115 m

So at t = 18 s, the speed boat would be 360 meters and the police boat would be 115 meters away
from where the police boat was initially at rest. We can consider the respective distances as the
initial positions i.e. xi speed boat = 360 m and xi police boat = 115 m. The final position will be when the
police boat catches up with the speed boat. At that point, the displacement of both boats would be
the same
xspeed boat = vt + at2
xf speed boat - xi speed boat = vt + at2
xf speed boat = xi speed boat + vt + at2
xf speed boat = 360 m+ (20 m/s)(t) + (0 m/s2)t2
xf speed boat = 360 m+ (20 m/s)(t)

xpolice boat = vt + at2

xf police boat - xi police boat = vt + at2
xf police boat = xi police boat + vt + at2
xf police boat = 115 m+ (23 m/s)(t) + (0 m/s2)t2
xf police boat = 115 m+ (23 m/s)(t)

xspeed boat = xpolice boat

360 m+ (20 m/s)(t) = 115 m+ (23 m/s)(t)
245 m = (3 m/s)(t)
81.667 s = t

Now that we know the time when the police boat caught up with the speed boat, we can now use
one of the equations for displacement above to find where the police boat caught the speed boat
xf speed boat = xi speed boat + vt + at2
xf speed boat = 360 m + (20 m/s)(81.667 s) + (0 m/s2)(81.667 s)2
xf speed boat = 360 m + 1633.34 m
xf speed boat = 1993.34 m
79. Find the displacement of a car that is constantly accelerating at 165 m/s2, east if it has an initial
velocity of 90.0 km/h, west and it accelerates for 0.0410 seconds. (Well assume east is positive)
Solution:
Given: a = 165 m/s2; v0 = -90.0 km/h; t = 0.0410 s
Find: x = ?

v0 = -90 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600s = -25 m/s

x = v0t + at2
x = (-25 m/s)(0.0410 s) + (165 m/s2)(0.0410 s)2
x = (-25 m/s)(0.0410 s) + 0.139 m/s
x = -1.025 + 0.139 m/s
x = -0.886 m = 0.886 m, west

80. A dog traveling 4.75 m/s, south is at a point 76.4 m, north of a fire hydrant. At a point 16.9 m,
42
 south of the same hydrant, the dog's velocity is 8.31 m/s, south. Assuming constant acceleration,
how long did this take? (Assuming north is positive)
Solution:
Given: v0 = -4.75 m/s; v = -8.31 m/s; x0 = 76.4 m; x = -16.9
x = (v0 + v)t
x - x0 = (v0 + v)t
2(x - x0) = (v0 + v)t
2(x - x0) / (v0 + v) = t
2(-16.9 m - 76.4 m) / (-4.75 m/s + (-8.31 m/s)) = t
2(-93.3 m) / -13.06 m/s = t
14.288 s = t

81. A train slows down to 25 km/h, west after braking for 1035 m. Its acceleration was measured to
be 0.93 m/s2, east. Find its initial velocity in m/s.
Solution:
Given: v = -25 km/s; x = -1035 m; a = 0.93 m/s2
Find: v0 = ?

v = -25 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600 s = -6.944 m/s

v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - 2ax = v02
v2 2ax = v0

( 6.944 m/s) 2
2(0.93 m/s2)( 1035 m) = v0
(48.219 m2/s2) 2( 962.55 m2/s2) = v0
(48.219 m2/s2 + 1925.1 m2/s2 = v0
1973.319 m2/s2 = v0
44.422 m/s = v0

82. Find the initial velocity of a ball that has a final velocity of 17.9 m/s, west after it accelerated at
63.7 m/s2, west for 0.21 s.
Solution:
Given: v = -17.9 m/s; a = -63.7 m/s2; t = 0.21 s
Find: v = ?

v = v0 + at
v - at = v0
-17.9 m/s - (-63.7 m/s2)(0.21 s) = v0
-17.9 m/s - (-13.377 m/s) = v0
-4.523 m/s = v0
4.523 m/s, west = v0

83. A Humpty Dumpty chip truck going 126 km/h, south suddenly sees a wounded cheesie on the
road 150.0 m ahead. It takes the driver 1.00 s to get his foot on the brake. The average
acceleration during braking is 5.00 m/s2, north. Determine if the cheesie survives.
Solution:
Given: v0 = -126 km/h; xcheesie = 150.0 m; t = 1.00 s; a = 5.00 m/s2

43
 v0 = -126 km/h * 1000 m /km * 1 h/3600 s = -35 m/s
x1 = v0t
x1 = (-35 m/s)(1.00 s)
x1 = (-35 m)

v2 = v02 + 2ax2
v2 - v02 = 2ax2
v2 - v02 / 2a = x2
(0 m/s)2 - v02 / 2a = x2
-(v02) / 2a = x2
-(-35 m/s)2 / 2a = x2
-1225 m2/s2 / 2(5.00 m/s2) = x2
-1225 m2/s2 / 10.00 m/s2 = x2
-122.5 m = x2

xtot = x1 + x2
xtot = -35 m + (-122.5 m)
xtot = -157.5 m

The cheesie did not survive

84. What is the maximum velocity the truck from question 62 can have without crushing the
wounded cheesie?
Solution:
xtot = x1 + x2
xtot = v0t + (-(v02) / 2a)
2axtot = 2av0t + -(v02)
2axtot = 2av0t - (v02)
2(5.00 m/s2)(-150.0 m) = 2(5.00 m/s2)v0(1.00 s) - (v02)
-1500 m2/s2 = (10.0 m/s2)v0 - (v02)
(v02) - (10.0 m/s2)v0 - 1500 m2/s2 = 0

Now using the quadratic equation:

a = 1; b = -10; c = -1500;

b b2 4ac 10 100 + 6000

v0 = =
( 10) 102
4(1)( 1500)
=
4a 2(1) 2

10 6100 10 78.102
v0 = =
2 2

44
 10 + 78.102 88.102 10 78.102 68.102
v0 = = = 44.05 or x = = = -34.051
2 2 1 2 2
The velocity we take is the negative one because the direction of motion is south. Thus, 34.051
m/s, south is the maximum velocity of the truck without it hitting the cheesie

85. An idle soccer player starts to accelerate at 2.800 m/s2, west just as a hockey player running at a
constant velocity of 8.330 m/s, west passes by.
a. At what position will the soccer player overtake the hockey player?
b. Calculate the soccer player's velocity at that position.
c. Do both runners have the same velocity at that position?
Solution:
Given: v0s = 0 m/s; a = -2.800 m/s2; vh = -8.330 m/s
a. Find: xs = xh, = ?
xs = v0st + at2
xh = vht

v0st + at2 = vht

0 m/s(t) + (-2.800 m/s2)t2 = -8.330 m/s(t)
(-1.400 m/s2)t2 = -8.330 m/s(t)
(-1.400 m/s2)t = -8.330 m/s
t = (-8.330 m/s) / (-1.400 m/s2)
t = 5.95 s

xh = vht
xh = (-8.330 m/s)(5.95 s)
xh = -49.56 m = xs
b. vs2 = 2
v0s + 2axs
vs2 = (0 m/s)2 + 2(-2.800 m/s2)(-49.56 m)
vs2 = (-5.600 m/s2)(-49.56 m)
vs2 = 277.54 m2/s2
vs = -16.66 m/s (We take the negative square root since the soccer player is moving west)
c. No. The velocity of the soccer player is double the velocity of the hockey player.

86. A 747 Jumbo Jet must reach a speed of 290km/h by the end of the runway to lift off. The
15L-33R runway at Toronto International Airport is 2,770 meters long. The main Toronto Island
Airport runway 08-26 is 1216 meters long. Assuming the jet has a constant acceleration, for each
runway:
a. Determine the time to reach the end of the runway
b. Determine the required acceleration
Solution:
v = 290 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600 s = 80.56 m/s
a. xToronto International = (v0 + v)t
2xToronto International = (v0 + v)t
2xToronto International / (v0 + v) = t
2(2770 m) / (0 m/s + 80.56 m/s) = t
5540 m / 80.56 m/s = t
45
 68.77 s = t

xToronto Island = (v0 + v )t

2xToronto Island = (v0 + v )t
2xToronto Island / (v0 + v) = t
2(1216 m) / (0 m/s + 80.56 m/s) = t
2432 m / 80.56 m/s = t
30.19 s = t
b. v2 = v02 + 2axToronto International
v2 - v02 = 2axToronto International
(v2 - v02) / 2xToronto International = a
[(80.56 m/s)2 - (0 m/s)2] / 2(2770 m) = a
(6489.91 m2/s2) / (5540 m) = a
1.17 m/s2 = a

v2 = v02 + 2axToronto Island

v2 - v02 = 2axToronto Island
(v2 - v02) / 2xToronto Island = a
[(80.56 m/s)2 - (0 m/s)2] / 2(1216 m) = a
(6489.91 m2/s2) / (2432 m) = a
2.67 m/s2 = a

87. A Boeing 747 jumbo jet with 400 passengers requires a takeoff speed of about 350 km/h with a
take-off length of 3.32 km. If the plane accelerates constantly starting from rest, what is the
necessary acceleration?
Solution:
Given: x = 3.32 km; v = 350 km/h; v0 = 0 m/s
Find: a = ?
v = 350 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600 s = 97.222 m/s
x = 3.32 km * 1000 m/km = 3320 m
v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - v02 = 2ax
(v2 - v02) / 2x = a
[(97.222 m/s)2 - (0 m/s)2] / 2(3320 m) = a
9160.451 m2/s2 / 6640 m = a
1.380 m/s a

88. The brakes on your Saab 9000CS (Car & Driver, Feb 1993, p 53) can decelerate the car at 8.2
m/s2. If you are going 145 km/h when your radar detector goes off, what is the shortest time in
which you can slow your car to the legal limit of 90 km/h?
Solution:
Given: a = -8.2 m/s2; v0 = 145 km/h; v = 90 km/h
Find: t = ?
v0 = 145 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600 s = 40.28 m/s
v = 90 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600 s = 25 m/s

v = v0 + at
v - v0 = at
46
 (v - v0) / a = t
(25 m/s - 40.28 m/s) / (-8.2 m/s2) = t
(-15.28 m/s) / (-8.2 m/s2) = t
1.86 s = t

89. On a dry road a Lincoln Mark VIII automobile (Car & Driver, Feb 1993, p 80) was able to brake
with a deceleration of 8.6 m/s2. How much time does the Lincoln take to stop if it is travelling
initially at 24.6 m/s?
Solution:
Given: a = -8.6 m/s2; v0 = 24.6 m/s; v = 0 m/s (when it stops)
Find: t = ?
v = v0 + at
v - v0 = at
v - v0 / a = t
(0 m/s -24.6 m/s) / -8.6 m/s2 = t
-24.6 m/s / -8.6 m/s2 = t
2.86 s = t

90. In a record run, a drag racer accelerated from 0 to 475 km/h in 4.88 s (Guiness Book of Records,
1992). Assuming a constant acceleration, how far did it travel during this time?
Solution?
Given: v0 = 0 km/h; v = 475 km/h; t = 4.88 s
475 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600 s = 131.94 m/s
v = v0 + at
v - v0 = at
(v - v0) / t = a
(131.94 m/s - 0 m/s) / 4.88 s = a
131.94 m/s / 4.88 s = a
27.037 m/s2 = a

91. A car is being driven at 30 km/h when a truck rolls into an intersection and stops. The car is 20 m
from the truck when the driver applies his brakes. The car hits the side of the truck 4.0 seconds
later. What was the impact speed of the car?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 30 km/h; x = 20 m; t = 4.0 s
Find: v = ?

30 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600s = 8.33 m/s

x = (v0 + v)t
2x = (v0 + v)t
2x / t = (v0 + v)
(2x / t) - v0 = v
[2(20 m) / 4.0 s] - 8.33 m/s = v
(40 m /4s) - 8.33 m/s = v
10 m/s - 8.33 m/s = v
1.67 m/s = v

47
92. Test results (Car & Driver, Feb 1993, p 48) on a Volkswagon Passat GLX show that it can be
stopped by the brakes in a distance of 56.4 metres from 113 km/h. What would be the average
braking acceleration?
Solution:
Given: x = 56.4 m; v0 = 113 km/h; v = 0 km/h
Find: a = ?

v0 = 113 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600 s = 31.39 m/s

v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 - v02 = 2ax
v2 - v02 / 2x = a
[(31.39 m/s)2 - (0 m/s)2] / 2(56.4 m) = a
(985.33 m2/s2) / 112.8 m = a
8.74 m/s2 = a

93. The Saab 9000CS is now travelling at 90 km/h when the driver again applies the brakes and slows
the car while it travels a distance of 30 m. How long does it take to travel this distance?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 90 km/h; a = -8.2 m/s2; x = 30 m
Find: t = ?

v0 = 90 km/h * 1000 m/km * 1 h/3600 s = 25 m/s

x = v0t + at2
30 m = (25 m/s)t + (-8.2 m/s2)t2
0 = (-8.2 m/s2)t2 + (25 m/s)t - 30 m
0 = (-4.1 m/s2)t2 + (25 m/s)t - 30 m

b b2 4ac
t =
2a

t =
25 25 2
4( 4.1)( 30)

2(-4.1)

25 625 4(123)
t =
-8.2

25 625 492
t =

48
 -8.2

25 133
t =
-8.2

25 + 133 25 133
t = = 1.64 or = 4.45 s
-8.2 s -8.2
We get two answers for the time. The shortest time among the two is the correct time since it is
the shortest time required to travel 30 m. However, to check which one is the correct time, we can
check using the method below:

v2 = v02 + 2ax
v2 = (25 m/s)2 + 2(-8.2 m/s2)(30 m)
v2 = (625 m2/s2) + (-16.4 m/s2)(30 m)
v2 = (625 m2/s2) + (-492 m2/s2)
v2 = 133 m2/s2
v = 11.53 m/s (we take the positive root since we assume that the car hasnt decelerated to the
point of stopping and then changing direction to travel another 30 m.)

x = (v0 + v)t
2x =(v0 + v)t
2x / (v0 + v) = t
2(30 m) / (25 m/s + 11.53 m/s) = t
60 m / (36.53 m/s) = t
1.64 s = t

94. An ancient Volkswagen bus has an acceleration of 5 km/h/s. If it starts from rest on a highway
ramp and accelerates constantly for 10 s, how far will it have travelled?
Solution:
Given: a = 5 km/h/s; t = 10 s; v0 = 0 m/s
Find: x = ?

a = 5 km/hs * 1000 m/km * 1 h/ 3600s = 1.39 m/s2

x = v0t + at2
x = (0 m/s)(10 s) + (1.39 m/s2)(10 s)2
x = (1.39 m/s2)(10 s)2
x = (1.39 m/s2)(100 s2)
x = (1.39 m/s2)(50 s2)
x = 69.5 m

95. You are driving down a straight highway at 20 m/s (72 km/h) on a foggy night. Suddenly you see
a truck stopped directly in front of you a distance 52 m down the roadway. Assume that your

49
 reaction time is 1.0 s and that when you step on the brake you can achieve a maximum
deceleration of 4 m/s2 . What will your speed be when you collide?
Solution:
Given: v0 = 20 m/s; x = 52 m; a = -4 m/s2; t = 1.0 s

Distance covered in 1 second before breaking:

x1 = v0t
x1 = (20 m/s)(1.0 s)
x1 = 20 m

Distance left traveled when braking:

x - x1 = 52 m - 20 m = 32 m

v2 = v02 + 2axdistance left

v2 = (20 m/s)2 + 2(-4 m/s2)(32 m)
v2 = (400 m2/s2) + (-8 m/s2)(32 m)
v2 = (400 m2/s2) + (-256 m2/s2)
v2 = 144 m2/s2
v = 12 m/s

96. In the far future, humanity has established colonies beyond earth. In one of the Mars colonies, a
few children who are new arrivals were playing with a ball. They wanted to see how different the
gravity is different to earths. One of the children threw a ball straight up. The velocity of the ball
upon being thrown is 21.1 m/s. (g in mars is = 3.71 m/s2)
a. What is the maximum height the ball reaches in the air?
b. How much time does it take to reach the maximum height?
c. How much time does it take to reach the maximum height and back to the hands of the
child?
Solution:
a. v2 = v02 + 2ay
v2 - v02 = 2ay
(v2 - v02) / 2a = y
[(0 m/s)2 - (21.1 m/s)2] / 2(-3.71 m/s2) = y
(-445.21 m2/s2) / (-7.42 m/s2) = y
60.00 m = y
b. y = (v0 + v)t1
2y = (v0 + v)t1
2y / (v0 + v) = t1
2(60.00 m) / (21.1 m/s + 0 m/s) = t1
120 m / (21.1 m/s) = t1
5.69 s = t
c. y = y - y0 = v0t2 + at22
0 m - 60 m = (0 m/s)t + (-3.71 m/s2)t22
-60 m = (-3.71 m/s2)t22
-1200 m = (-3.71 m/s2)t22
-1200 m / (-3.71 m/s2) = t22
323.45 s2 = t22
17.98 s = t2
50
 Total time = t1 + t2 = 5.69 s + 17.98 s = 23.67 s

97. A spacecraft from the 31st century (where they have already learned how to travel faster than
light speed) is travelling to the moon for a space mission. The moon is 384,400 km away from the
earth. It has a speed of 8 km/s and accelerates at 5 km/s2
a. How long does it take to cover half the journey?
b. What is its velocity halfway through the trop?
Solution:
a. x = v0t + at2
384,400 km / 2 = (8 km/s)t + (5 km/s2)t2
192,200 km = (8 km/s)t + (2.5 km/s2)t2
0 = (8 km/s)t + (2.5 km/s2)t2 - 192,200 km
0 = 8t + 2.5 t2 - 192,200

b b2 4ac 2.5 6 + 6, 150, 400

=
2.5 2.5 4(8)( 192200)
2
=
2a 2(8) 16

2.5 6, 150, 406

=
16

2.5 + 6, 150, 406 2.5 + 2480 2477.50

= = = = 154.84 s
16 16 16

2.5 6, 150, 406 2.5 2480 -2482.5

= = = = -155 s
16 16 16

Because time can only be positive, it takes 154.84 seconds for the spacecraft to reach half
the distance to the moon

b. v = v0 + at
v = 8 km/s + (5 km/s2)(154.84 s)
v = 8 km/s + 774.2 km/s
v = 779.2 km/s

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