Starting from rest, a professional driver conducted a test drive to cover certain distances in certain amounts of times. The table shows the distances, the times, and the direction of travel.

Question

Time of Travel (s)
0
60
2
120
180
6
Distance from Start Point (km)
0
4
Direction of Travel
East
East
East
North
Based on the data, during what portions of the test was the professional driver most likely accelerating? Place the corresponding label in each cell of the table below.
Portion of the Test
From 0 s to 60 s
From 60 s to 120 s
From 120 s to 180 s
Type of Motion
Evidence
accelerated
non-accelerated
change in speed
change in direction
no change in direction or speed

Answer 1

To determine the portions of the test during which the professional driver was likely accelerating, let's analyze the information provided in the table regarding distance, time, and direction of travel.

1. From 0 s to 60 s (0 km to 4 km, East):

   • The distance increases from 0 km to 4 km in 60 seconds.
   • Since the car is moving in the same direction (East) and covering a distance, this indicates acceleration.

2. From 60 s to 120 s (4 km to 4 km, East):

   • The distance does not change (remains at 4 km) during this interval.
   • Since the driver does not cover any additional distance in this time while traveling East, this is a period of non-acceleration.

3. From 120 s to 180 s (4 km to 6 km, North):

   • The distance changes from 4 km to 6 km as the direction of travel changes from East to North.
   • The driver has increased their distance to 6 km, while also changing direction, indicating both a change in speed and direction.

Now we can categorize each portion according to the type of motion and accompanying evidence.

Final Summary:

| Portion of the Test | Type of Motion | Evidence | |-----------------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------| | From 0 s to 60 s | accelerated | increasing distance at a constant direction (East) | | From 60 s to 120 s | non-accelerated | no change in distance at constant direction (East) | | From 120 s to 180 s | change in speed and direction | increasing distance with a change in direction (North) |

In a more simplified view, the table could look like this:

| Portion of the Test | Type of Motion | |-----------------------------|------------------| | From 0 s to 60 s | accelerated | | From 60 s to 120 s | non-accelerated | | From 120 s to 180 s | change in speed and direction |

Based on this analysis, the driver was likely accelerating during the first segment and also experiencing both a change in speed and direction in the last segment.