Question

During which time period was the acceleration of the car the greatest?

Answer 1

C.) 2-3 seconds
And I know this is right

Answer 2

c.) 2-3 seconds

Explanation:

Acceleration is defined as the ratio of change in velocity per unit time:

$a=\frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}$

In a velocity-time graph, like the one attached here, acceleration corresponds to the slope of the curve.

Let's calculate the acceleration of the car in the different sectors:

a) 5-8 seconds: $a=\frac{4 m/s-4 m/s}{8 s-5 s}=0$

b) 0-2 seconds: $a=\frac{5 m/s-0 m/s}{2 s-0 s}=2.5 m/s^2$

c) 2-3 seconds: $a=\frac{2 m/s-5 m/s}{3 s-2 s}=-1.5 m/s^2$

d) 3-5 seconds: $a=\frac{4 m/s-2 m/s}{5 s-3 s}=1.0 m/s^2$

So, the acceleration is greatest in c) 2-3 seconds (the negative sign means it is a deceleration)