Extra Problem
A student is speeding down Highway 16 in her fancy red Porsche when her radar system warns her of an obstacle 400 feet ahead. She immediately applies the brakes, starts to slow down, and spots a skunk in the road directly ahead of her. The "black box" in the Porsche records the car's speed every two seconds, producing the following table. The speed decreases throughout the 10 seconds it takes to stop, although not necessarily at a uniform rate.
Time since brakes applied (sec) 0 2 4 6 8 10
Speed (ft/sec) 110 80 60 30 15 0
What is your best estimate of the total distance the student's car traveled before coming to rest (note that the best estimate is probably not the over or under estimate that you can most easily find use the trapezoidal approximation)? distance
Given the fact that the Porsche slows down during braking, give a sharp underestimate of the distance traveled:
ii. overestimate of the distance traveled:
C. Which one of the following statements can you justify from the information given?
A. The "black box" data is inconclusive. The skunk may or may not have been hit.
B. The skunk was hit by the car.
C. The car stopped before getting to the skunk.