A car traveling at 28 m/s hits the brakes. If it takes the car 88 m to come to a complete stop, what is its acceleration?
To find the acceleration of the car, we can use the equation:
v^2 = u^2 + 2ad
Where:
v = final velocity (0 m/s, as the car comes to a complete stop)
u = initial velocity (28 m/s)
a = acceleration (what we're trying to find)
d = distance covered (88 m)
Rearranging the equation, we have:
a = (v^2 - u^2) / (2d)
Substituting the given values:
a = (0^2 - 28^2) / (2 * 88)
Simplifying:
a = (-28^2) / 176
a = -784 / 176
a ≈ -4.45 m/s^2
Therefore, the car's acceleration is approximately -4.45 m/s^2. The negative sign indicates that the acceleration is in the opposite direction to the initial velocity (deceleration).