A student is gliding along on a scooter at a comfortable 2.8 m/s when Mr. Jones walks around the corner and the two collide. If the student is brought to rest in 0.15 s, what is their acceleration (hint: should it be acceleration or deceleration)?

Answer 1

The student is brought to rest in 0.15 s, which means that their final velocity is 0 m/s. The initial velocity of the student was 2.8 m/s.

We can use the equation:

a = (v_f - v_i) / t

where:
a = acceleration
v_f = final velocity (0 m/s)
v_i = initial velocity (2.8 m/s)
t = time (0.15 s)

Plugging in the values:

a = (0 - 2.8) / 0.15
a = -2.8 / 0.15
a = -18.67 m/s^2

The acceleration of the student is -18.67 m/s^2.

Since the student is brought to rest, the acceleration is in the opposite direction of their initial motion, so it is considered deceleration.