Math Problem Statement
A man is running at 5 m/s. From a common starting point, a car is also moving at 5 kph and started to accelerate after 10 seconds to 50 kph within 5 seconds. If the man started ahead by 3 minutes, how long will it take before the car catches up? What is the displacement of the car and the man when they meet?
- How many seconds will it take for a car to catch up with the man?
- What are the displacement of the man and the car?
Solution
Let's break this problem down step by step. We'll focus on three phases:
- The man starts ahead by 3 minutes (180 seconds) at a constant speed of 5 m/s.
- The car starts at 5 km/h (which is roughly 1.39 m/s), then accelerates to 50 km/h (which is roughly 13.89 m/s) after 10 seconds.
Phase 1: Displacement of the man
Since the man is running at a constant speed of 5 m/s and he has a 3-minute head start, we calculate his displacement after 3 minutes (180 seconds).
Phase 2: Motion of the car
- For the first 10 seconds, the car is moving at a constant speed of 5 km/h or 1.39 m/s. The displacement in this period is:
- From 10 to 15 seconds, the car accelerates uniformly from 5 km/h to 50 km/h. The final velocity is 13.89 m/s, and the initial velocity is 1.39 m/s. The acceleration is given by:
The displacement during this period can be found using the formula:
- After 15 seconds, the car moves at a constant speed of 50 km/h or 13.89 m/s. Now, we need to find out when the car will catch up with the man.
Phase 3: Time until the car catches up
At 15 seconds, the total displacement of the car is:
At this point, the man is still 900 meters ahead. The car now moves at a constant speed of 13.89 m/s, and the man is moving at 5 m/s. The relative speed between the car and the man is:
The time it will take for the car to catch up is:
Final Result:
-
Time to catch up: The car will catch up with the man approximately 95.36 seconds after the car reaches its constant speed (i.e., after the first 15 seconds).
-
Displacement when they meet:
- The displacement of the man after 180 + 15 + 95.36 seconds is:
- The displacement of the car is the same as the man’s displacement when they meet, which is approximately 1451.8 meters.
Summary:
- Time until the car catches up: 110.36 seconds (15 seconds + 95.36 seconds).
- Displacement of the man and car when they meet: 1451.8 meters.
Would you like further clarification or more details? Here are some related questions:
- How did we convert speeds from km/h to m/s in this scenario?
- What role did uniform acceleration play in the car’s catching up?
- How do you calculate displacement for an accelerating object?
- Can the car catch up faster if it accelerates sooner?
- What would happen if the man’s speed increased during the race?
Tip: Always convert speeds to consistent units (e.g., meters per second) before solving.
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Math Problem Analysis
Mathematical Concepts
Kinematics
Relative Speed
Uniform Acceleration
Displacement
Formulas
Displacement = velocity × time
Acceleration = (final velocity - initial velocity) / time
Displacement during acceleration = v_i * t + 1/2 * a * t^2
Relative speed = speed of car - speed of man
Time to catch up = distance / relative speed
Theorems
Equations of Motion for Uniformly Accelerated Motion
Relative Speed Theorem
Suitable Grade Level
Grades 10-12
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