Question

A horse is stopped on a straight path. It begins moving forward and reaches a full gallop along a path in 5 seconds. The horse gallops at a speed of 25 m/s. What was the horse's acceleration?

Answer 1

The horse's average acceleration is calculated by dividing the change in velocity (25 m/s) by the time taken (5 seconds), resulting in an average acceleration of 5 m/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

Calculating the Horse's Acceleration

To find the horse's acceleration, we use the formula for average acceleration, which is the change in velocity (∆v) divided by the time taken (∆t). The horse reaches a speed of 25 m/s from rest (0 m/s) in 5 seconds. We calculate the acceleration (a) as follows:

1. Find the change in velocity: Since the starting velocity (vi) is 0 m/s and the final velocity (vf) is 25 m/s, the change in velocity (∆v) is vf - vi = 25 m/s - 0 m/s = 25 m/s.
2. Find the acceleration using the formula a = ∆v / ∆t. Here, ∆t is 5 seconds, so a = 25 m/s / 5 s = 5 m/s².

The horse's acceleration is 5 meters per second square (5 m/s²).