Police can estimate the speed of a vehicle before the brakes are applied using the formula 0.75 d equals Start Fraction s squared over 30.25 End Fraction, where s is the speed in miles per hour and d is the length of the vehicle’s skid marks. What was the approximate speed of a vehicle that left skid marks measuring 150 feet?
To find the speed of the vehicle, we can plug in d = 150 feet into the formula:
0.75 * 150 = s^2 / 30.25
112.5 = s^2 / 30.25
Multiplying both sides by 30.25 gives:
s^2 = 112.5 * 30.25
s^2 = 3401.25
Taking the square root of both sides gives:
s ≈ √3401.25
s ≈ 58.3 mph
Therefore, the approximate speed of the vehicle was 58.3 miles per hour.