What is its average acceleration?

Question

Average acceleration can be calculated as the change in velocity over the change in time. A roller coaster car rapidly picks up speed as it rolls down a slope. As it starts down the slope, its speed is 4 m/s. But 3 seconds later, at the bottom of the slope, its speed is 22 m/s. What is its average acceleration?  

 

                       

 

Answer 1

As your question says, the average acceleration is the change in velocity over the change in time.

The coaster starts at 4 m/s and 3 seconds later it's 22 m/s. The change in velocity is

22-4 = 18

The change in time is 3 seconds since that's what the problem tells us.

The average acceleration then is

(22-4)/3 = 18/3 = 6 m/s²