1) 1.08 m/s^2
Explanation:
Acceleration is equal to the change in velocity divided by the time taken:
[tex]a=\frac{v-u}{\Delta t}[/tex]
where
v is the final velocity
u is the initial velocity
[tex]\Delta t[/tex] is the time taken
In this problem, we have:
- initial velocity: u = 0 (you start from rest)
- final velocity: v = 5.4 m/s
- time taken: [tex]\Delta t = 5 s[/tex]
Therefore, the acceleration is
[tex]a=\frac{v-u}{\Delta t}=\frac{5.4 m/s-0}{5 s}=1.08 m/s^2[/tex]
2) -0.54 m/s^2
We can calculate the acceleration to slow down using the same formula as before, but this time the data are as follows:
- initial velocity : u = 5.4 m/s
- final velocity : v = 0 (you come to a stop)
- time taken : [tex]\Delta t = 10 s[/tex]
using the same formula, we find
[tex]a=\frac{v-u}{\Delta t}=\frac{0-5.4 m/s}{10 s}=-0.54 m/s^2[/tex]
And the negative sign means it is a deceleration.
