Suppose that you are an accident investigator and you are asked to figure whether or not the car was speeding before it crashed through the rail of the bridge and into the mudbank. The speed limit on the bridge is 55 mph = 24 m/s. What is your conclusion?( The vertical component is 4.9m/s and the horizontal component is 24 m.)PROJECTILE CONCEPT!!!!!!!!!!
To determine whether or not the car was speeding before the crash using projectile concepts, we need to analyze the vertical and horizontal components of the car's motion.
Given:
- The vertical component of the car's velocity is 4.9 m/s (upwards).
- The horizontal component of the car's velocity is 24 m/s (straight ahead).
First, let's consider the vertical component. Since the car is moving upwards, we can conclude that it was not affected by gravity at the moment of the crash. There could be several reasons for this, such as the car being propelled by external forces or the driver intentionally driving off the bridge.
Next, let's focus on the horizontal component. The speed limit on the bridge is 55 mph, which is equivalent to 24 m/s. Since the car's horizontal velocity matches the speed limit exactly, it is likely that the car was obeying the speed limit before the crash.
Considering these factors, we can conclude that the car was not speeding horizontally before the crash through the rail of the bridge and into the mudbank.
However, it's important to note that additional information or evidence from the accident scene could influence the final conclusion. This analysis only takes into account the projectile motion components of the car's velocity and their relation to the speed limit.