Question

For many years Colonel John P. Stapp, USAF, held the world's land speed record. He participated in studying whether a jet pilot could survive emergency ejection. On March 19, 1954, he rode a rocket-propelled sled that moved down a track at a speed of 632 mi/h. He and the sled were safely brought to rest in 1.40s
(a) Determine the negative acceleration he experienced.
__ m/s2
(b) Determine the distance he traveled during this negative acceleration.
__ m.

Answer 1

Answer:

(a) -202 m/s²

(b) 198 m

Explanation:

Given data

• Initial speed (v₀): 283 m/s

$\frac{632mi}{h} .\frac{1609.34m}{1mi} .\frac{1h}{3600s} =283m/s$

• Final speed (vf): 0 (rest)

• Time (t): 1.40 s

(a) The acceleration (a) is the change in the speed over the time elapsed.

a = (vf - v₀)/t = (0 - 283 m/s)/ 1.40s = -202 m/s²

(b) We can find the distance traveled (d) using the following kinematic expression.

y = v₀ × t + 1/2 × a × t²

y = 283 m/s × 1.40 s + 1/2 × (-202 m/s²) × (1.40 s)²

y = 198 m