Answer to Question #90608 in Mechanics | Relativity for Maureen

Question

A roller coaster car changes velocity from 2.5 m/s to 13.3 m/s as it rolls down a hill for 3 seconds. What is the car’s acceleration?

Answer 1

Assuming the car's acceleration to be constant, the change of the velocity can be calculated as follows:

$$v(t) = v_0 + a t,$$

where a is the acceleration of a car.

Hence,

$$a = \frac{v-v_0}{t}$$

Substituting the numerical values, we obtain:

$$a = \frac{13.3 - 2.5}{3} =3.6 \, m/s^2$$

Answer: 3.6 m/s²