Question

Youre driving on a straight road (in the +x direction) at a constant speed of 27 m/s. In 10 seconds, you speed up to 34 m/s to pass a truck.a) Assuming your car speeds up at a constant rate (constant force by the road on the tires), what is your average x component of velocity, during the maneuver?

Answer 1

To solve this problem we will apply the concepts related to the kinematic equations of linear motion. For such an effect we will define the average speed, as the distance traveled in the established time.

Our values are given under the following conditions:

$v_i = 27m/s$

$x_1 = v_1 *t$

$x_1 = 27*10 = 270m$

The final distance covered in those 10 seconds at $34 m / s$ would be

$x_2 = 34*10$

$x_2 = 340m$

Therefore the average speed would be the sum of those distances in the total travel time

$v_{Avg} = \frac{340+270}{20}$

$v_{Avg} = 30.5m/s$

Therefore the average velocity is 30.5m/s