Question

A boat traveling at a velocity of 20 m/s leaves island heading east . The boat slows to rest at a rate of 1.5 m/s2 How far away from the island has the boat traveled when it comes to a stop.

Answer 1

The boat's initial velocity is:

$v_0 = 20 m/s$

While the boat's acceleration is

$a=-1.5 m/s^2$

with a negative sign, since the boat is slowing down, so it is a deceleration. The distance traveled by the boat until it comes to a stop can be found by using the following equation:

$v_f^2 -v_0^2 = 2aS$

where vf=0 is the final velocity of the boat and S is the distance covered. Re-arranging the formula, we can find S:

$S=\frac{-v_0^2}{2a}=\frac{-(20 m/s)^2}{2(-1.5 m/s^2)}=133.3 m$