How long does the pinball sit in its area?

Question

A pinball is moving through a pinball machine at 1 m/s and hits an accelerator. When it leaves the accelerator, it is traveling at 2 m/s over the distance of 2.7 cm. How long is the pinball in the region where it accelerates?

Answer 1

The initial speed is 1 m/s and the final speed is 2 m/s.

 

 

The displacement is Δx = 0.027 m.

 

 

We can apply the constant-acceleration equation, Δx = ½(v_i + v_f)t, to find the time, t.

 

 

t = 2Δx/(v_i + v_f) = 2*0.027/(1 + 2) = 0.018 seconds.