Question

Starting from a rest, a boat increases its speed to 5m/s with constant acceleration.

A) WHAT IS THE boat's average speed?
B) if it takes the boat 4 seconds to reach its speed how far has it traveled?

Answer 1

A) We can find the boat's average speed from the formula:

$$v_{avg} = \dfrac{1}{2}(v_i + v_f) = \dfrac{1}{2}(0 \dfrac{m}{s} + 5 \dfrac{m}{s}) = 2.5 \dfrac{m}{s}.$$

B) We can find the distance traveled by the boat from the formula:

$$d = v_{avg}t = 2.5 \dfrac{m}{s} \cdot 4.0 s = 10 m.$$

Answer:

A) $v_{avg} = 2.5 \dfrac{m}{s}.$

B) $d = 10 m.$