Question

A tumbleweed is moving with a velocity of 5.4 m/s westward. A sudden gust of wind blows for 1.5 seconds and reduces its velocity to 1.8 m/s. What is the acceleration of the tumbleweed during this time

Answer 1

Answer:

$a=-2.4 m/s^{2}$

Explanation:

Let's recall the acceleration definition.

$a=\frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t}$ (1)

Δv is the velocity variation, Δv = v(f) - v(i). It is just the difference between final and initial velocities. So Δv = 1.8[m/s] - 5.4[m/s] = -3.6 [m/s]

And Δt is the time variation, in this case it is just 1.5 s.

Therefore, using the equation (1), the acceleration will be:

$a=\frac{-3.6}{1.5}=-2.4 m/s^{2}$

The minus sign means that the tumbleweed is slowing down.

I hope it helps you!