A cyclist travels along a straight road with the following recorded velocity (in…

PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials

Problem

A cyclist travels along a straight road with the following recorded velocity (in meters per second): • At

t=0

the velocity is

0\,\text{m/s}

. • It increases linearly to

6\,\text{m/s}

t=5\,\text{s}

. • The velocity remains constant at

6\,\text{m/s}

from

t=5\,\text{s}

t=8\,\text{s}

. • It then decreases linearly to

2\,\text{m/s}

t=12\,\text{s}

. (1) Part 1: Describe the cyclist’s acceleration on each of the three open intervals

0 < t < 5

5 < t < 8

, and

8 < t < 12

. Include appropriate units in your description. (2) Part 2: Is the acceleration defined at

t=5\,\text{s}

and at

t=8\,\text{s}

? Provide a clear explanation for each time. (3) Part 3: Sketch a possible graph of acceleration

a(t)

for

0 \le t \le 12

that is consistent with the described motion, labeling critical values on both axes.