Question

A race car accelerates from a speed of 20 m/s to 60 m/s in just 5 seconds while traveling in a straight line.

What is the car's acceleration?

(1 point)
Responses

20 m/s^2
20 m/s^2

16 m/s^2
16 m/s^2

8 m/s^2
8 m/s^2

4 m/s^2

Answer 1

To find the acceleration of the race car, we can use the formula for acceleration:

\[
a = \frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}
\]

where:
- \( \Delta v \) is the change in velocity,
- \( \Delta t \) is the change in time.

In this case, the initial velocity (\( v_i \)) is 20 m/s, the final velocity (\( v_f \)) is 60 m/s, and the time (\( \Delta t \)) is 5 seconds.

First, we calculate the change in velocity:

\[
\Delta v = v_f - v_i = 60 \, \text{m/s} - 20 \, \text{m/s} = 40 \, \text{m/s}
\]

Now, we can plug this value into the acceleration formula:

\[
a = \frac{40 \, \text{m/s}}{5 \, \text{s}} = 8 \, \text{m/s}^2
\]

Therefore, the car's acceleration is **8 m/s²**.