A driver in a truck applies the brakes to come to a stop at a red light. Just before braking, the truck's initial speed was 15 m/s, and it was moving in the north direction. What was the truck's average velocity during braking? Assume the acceleration during braking was constant.
with uniform acceleration (deceleration)
... average velocity = (initial + final) / 2
To find the truck's average velocity during braking, we need the final velocity and the time it took to come to a stop.
Since the truck comes to a stop at the red light, its final velocity is 0 m/s.
To determine the time it took for the truck to stop, we need more information about the truck's acceleration. If the acceleration during braking is constant, we can use the basic kinematic equation:
vf = vi + at
Where:
vf = final velocity
vi = initial velocity
a = acceleration
t = time
In this case, vf = 0 m/s, vi = 15 m/s, and a is the acceleration during braking.
Since the truck was moving in the north direction, assuming it moved only in one dimension, we can neglect any possible changes in direction during braking. Therefore, we can assume the acceleration acts in the opposite direction (south).
Since the question doesn't provide the acceleration value or any other relevant information, we can't calculate the average velocity during braking.
To find the average velocity of the truck during braking, we need to determine the final velocity of the truck after braking. However, we are not given the acceleration or the time it takes for the truck to come to a stop. Without this information, we cannot directly calculate the average velocity.
Instead, we can make an assumption that the truck comes to a stop in a relatively short period of time compared to the time it was initially moving. Therefore, we can consider the average velocity during braking to be approximately equal to the final velocity after braking.
Since the truck is coming to a stop, its final velocity would be 0 m/s. So, we can conclude that the average velocity of the truck during braking is 0 m/s.
It's important to note that this assumption is an approximation and may not reflect the exact average velocity during the braking process. To calculate the exact average velocity, we would need additional information such as the acceleration or the time it takes for the truck to come to a stop.