Did you know?
Did you know that maintaining a safe driving speed is crucial for avoiding accidents? Let's take a look at an example: Imagine you are driving on a suburban road with a speed limit of 50 km/h. Suddenly, an empty bag blows onto the road from behind a parked car, which is 5.0m in front of you. If you continue to travel at the speed limit, you may wonder how much time you have before potentially hitting the bag.
Converting the speed limit to meters/second will help us solve this. To do that, we know that 1 km equals 1000 meters, and 1 hour equals 3600 seconds.
Converting 50 km/h to meters/second:
50 km/h = (50,000 m) / (3600 s) ≈ 13.89 m/s
Now, knowing your speed is approximately 13.89 m/s, we can calculate the time it will take for you to reach the bag. Since the bag is 5.0m in front of you, the time required can be calculated by dividing the distance by the speed:
Time = Distance / Speed
Time ≈ 5.0 m / 13.89 m/s ≈ 0.36 seconds
Therefore, if you maintain your speed, it will take approximately 0.36 seconds before you potentially hit the bag. This highlights the importance of paying attention to the road and potential obstacles, as even a short delay in reacting can have consequences. Stay alert and drive safely!
