Math Problem Statement
A subway train starts from rest at a station and accelerates at a rate of 1.60 m/s2 for 14.0 s. It runs at a constant speed for 70.0 s and slows down at a rate of 3.50 m/s2 until it stops at the next station. Find the total distance covered.
Solution
We can break the motion of the subway train into three stages:
- Acceleration phase: The train accelerates at for .
- Constant speed phase: The train moves at a constant speed for .
- Deceleration phase: The train decelerates at until it comes to rest.
Step 1: Distance during acceleration
The initial velocity (since the train starts from rest), and the acceleration is . The velocity at the end of this phase is:
The distance covered during this phase can be found using the equation:
Step 2: Distance during constant speed
The velocity during this phase is the same as . The distance covered during this phase is:
Step 3: Distance during deceleration
In this phase, the train decelerates to rest. The final velocity , the initial velocity , and the deceleration is . Using the equation:
Solving for :
Total distance covered
Now, we sum up the distances from all three phases:
Thus, the total distance covered by the train is approximately 1796.5 meters.
Would you like more details or have any questions?
Here are 5 related questions for further practice:
- How would the total distance change if the acceleration rate was increased?
- What is the total time taken for the journey?
- How much time would it take for the train to decelerate if the deceleration was reduced to 2.0 m/s²?
- What would be the distance covered if the train maintained a higher constant speed for the same duration?
- How would the problem change if the initial speed was not zero?
Tip: Always break a motion problem into phases—acceleration, constant speed, and deceleration—to simplify the calculation.
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Math Problem Analysis
Mathematical Concepts
Kinematics
Uniform Acceleration
Constant Speed
Deceleration
Formulas
v = u + at (Final velocity after acceleration)
d = ut + 0.5at² (Distance under constant acceleration)
d = vt (Distance at constant speed)
v² = u² + 2ad (Distance under deceleration)
Theorems
Equations of motion for uniformly accelerated motion
Suitable Grade Level
Grades 9-12
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