Calculating Average Acceleration
This problem involves calculating the average acceleration of a car that accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 5 seconds. Here's how we can solve it:
Understanding Acceleration
Acceleration is the rate of change of velocity over time. In simpler terms, it's how quickly something speeds up or slows down. We can calculate average acceleration using the following formula:
Average Acceleration = (Final Velocity - Initial Velocity) / Time
Applying the Formula
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Convert Units: First, we need to convert the final velocity from mph to meters per second (m/s) as the standard unit for acceleration is meters per second squared (m/s²).
- 60 mph ≈ 26.82 m/s
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Identify Values:
- Initial Velocity (vi) = 0 m/s (starts from rest)
- Final Velocity (vf) = 26.82 m/s
- Time (t) = 5 seconds
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Calculate Acceleration: Now, we can plug these values into the formula:
- Average Acceleration = (26.82 m/s - 0 m/s) / 5 seconds
- Average Acceleration = 5.364 m/s²
Conclusion
Therefore, the average acceleration of the car is 5.364 m/s². This means the car's velocity increases by 5.364 meters per second every second.
