QUESTION: A roller coaster's velocity at the top of a hill is 10 m/s. Two seconds later it reaches the bottom of the hill with a velocity of 25 m/s. What was the acceleration of the coaster?
(scroll to the end to get the answer)
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I. Definitions
1) Acceleration
- It is the rate of change at which velocity changes with respect to time.
2) Velocity
- It describes how fast an object is moving with consideration to the direction. It is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude and direction.
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II. Formula
a = [tex]\frac{vf - vi}{t}[/tex]
- a = acceleration
- vf = final velocity
- vi = initial velocity
- t = time
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III. Unit of Measurement
- [tex]km/h^{2}[/tex]
- [tex]m/s^{2}[/tex]
- etc...
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IV. Substitution
- 10 m/s = initial velocity
- 25 m/s = final velocity
- 2 s = elapsed time
a = [tex]\frac{25m/s-10m/s}{2 s}[/tex]
a = [tex]\frac{15m/s}{2s}[/tex]
a = 7.5 [tex]m/s^{2}[/tex]
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V. Final Answer
The acceleration on the coaster is 7.5[tex]m/s^{2}[/tex]
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:D Hope this helps!
