An accident investigator measured the skid marks of one of the vehicles involved in an accident. The length of the skid marks was 84 feet. What was the speed of the vehicle before the brakes were applied?
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To determine the speed of the vehicle before the brakes were applied, we can use the equation of motion that relates the skid marks distance to the speed of the vehicle.
The equation is:
v^2 = u^2 + 2as
Where:
v = final velocity (0 m/s because the vehicle stopped)
u = initial velocity (what we need to find)
a = acceleration (0 m/s^2 because the vehicle was already in motion)
s = distance (84 feet = 25.6 meters)
Plugging the given values into the equation:
0 = u^2 + 2(0)(25.6)
Simplifying the equation:
u^2 = -51.2
Taking the square root of both sides of the equation:
u = ±√(-51.2)
Since speed cannot be negative, the answer is:
u = √(-51.2)
However, the square root of a negative number is not a real number, therefore, there was an error in the question or the given information. The speed of the vehicle before the brakes were applied cannot be determined based solely on the length of the skid marks.
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