PHY engineering

Question

A speed skater moving to the left across frictionless ice at  hits a -wide patch of rough ice. She slows steadily, then continues on at .

Part A-What is the magnitude of her acceleration on the rough ice?

Express your answer with the appropriate units.

Answer 1

As I stated in my Comment, essential information is missing, but I can still explain how to solve this type of problem.

v₀ = speed skater has when entering rough patch

x = length of rough patch

v = speed at which skater leaves the rough patch

a = acceleration of the skater while crossing the rough patch

Then by the laws of kinematics,

v² - v₀² = 2ax ⇒

a = (v² - v₀²) / (2x)

Note the acceleration is negative, since the skater is slowing down (v < v₀). The answer you want is |a|.