Two cars are traveling on a desert road between
three consecutive poles, as shown in the
figure. After 5.2 s, they are side by side at the
next telephone pole. The distance between
the poles is 74.0 m.
The larger car is the Mercedes-Benz.
To solve this problem, we can use the formula of average speed:
Average speed = Total distance / Total time
Let's break down the given information:
1. The distance between three consecutive poles is 74.0 m.
2. After 5.2 seconds, the two cars are side by side at the next telephone pole.
To find the average speed, we need to determine the total distance covered and the total time taken by the cars.
Since the two cars are side by side at the next pole after 5.2 seconds, it means that they both covered the distance between the poles in that time.
The total distance covered by each car is half of the distance between the poles, which is 74.0 m / 2 = 37.0 m.
Therefore, the total distance covered by both cars is 2 * 37.0 m = 74.0 m.
The total time taken by the cars is given as 5.2 seconds.
Now, we can use the formula to calculate the average speed:
Average speed = Total distance / Total time
Average speed = 74.0 m / 5.2 s
Average speed ≈ 14.23 m/s
Thus, the average speed of the cars is approximately 14.23 m/s.