Question

Two bumper cars move in a straight line with the following equations of motion:

X1 = -4.0 m + (1.9 m/s)t
X2 = 8.8 m + (-2.1 m/s)t
What time do they collide?
a) When t = 2 s
b) When t = 4 s
c) When t = 6 s
d) When t = 8 s

Answer 1

The two bumper cars collide at t = 1.2s.

Step-by-step explanation:

In order to find the time at which the two bumper cars collide, we need to find the time at which their positions are equal. To do that, we can set the two position equations equal to each other and solve for t:

X1 = X2 -4.0 + 1.9t = 8.8 - 2.1t 4.0 + 2.1t = 8.8 - 1.9t 4.0t = 4.8 t = 1.2

The bumper cars collide at t = 1.2 s, so none of the given answer choices are correct.