You are sitting in your car at rest at a traffic light with a bicyclist at rest next to you in the adjoining bicycle lane. as soon as the traffic light turns green, your car speeds up from rest to 47.0 mi/h with constant acceleration 8.00 mi/h/s and thereafter moves with a constant speed of 47.0 mi/h. at the same time, the cyclist speeds up from rest to 23.0 mi/h with constant acceleration 12.00 mi/h/s and thereafter moves with a constant speed of 23.0 mi/h (a) for what time interval (in s) after the light turned green is the bicycle ahead of your car?

(b) what is the maximum distance (in ft) by which the bicycle leads your car during this time interval?

Explanation:

Time duration during which acceleration exists in  bicycle =

23 / 12 = 1.91 s

Time duration during which acceleration exists in car

= 47 / 8 = 5.875 s

Distance covered by bicycle during acceleration ( t = 1.91 s )

= 1/2 x 12 x (1.91)²

= 21.88 mi

Distance covered by car during this time ( t = 1.91 s )

= 1/2 x 8 x (1.91)²

7.64 mi ,

velocity of car after 1.91 s

= 8 x 1.91 = 15.28 mi/h

Let after time 1.91 , time taken by them to meet each other be t

Total distance covered by cycle = total distance covered by car

21.88 + 23 t = 7.64 + 15.28t + 4 t²

21.88 = 7.64 - 7.72t +4 t²

4 t² -7.72 t -14.24 = 0

t = 2.83 s

Total time taken

= 2.83 + 1.91

= 4.74 s

So after 4.74 s they will meet each other.

b ) Maximum distance occurs when velocity of both of them becomes equal .

Velocity after 1.91 s of bicycle

12 x 1.91 = 23 mi/h

Velocity after 1.91 s of car

8 x 1.91 = 15.28 mi/h . Let after time t , the velocity of car becomes 23

15.28 + 8t = 23

t = .965 s

So after time .965 s , car has velocity equal to that of bicycle.

The bicycle will travel a distance of

= 21.88 + .965 x 23 = 44.075 mi

car will travel a distance of

7.64 + 15.28 x .965 + .5 x 8 x .965²

= 7.64 + 14.75 + 3.72

= 26.11 mi

Distance between car and bicycle

= 44.075 - 26.11 = 17.965 mi

= 17.965 x 1760

= 31618.4 ft.

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