A scooter starts from rest and follows the motion described below: • It accelerates…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
A scooter starts from rest and follows the motion described below:
• It accelerates uniformly at 1.5 m/s² for the first 8 s.
• Immediately after, it continues to accelerate but now at 0.5 m/s² for the next 12 s.
(i) Construct a velocity–time graph for the complete 20 s motion. Mark clearly the velocity reached at t = 8 s and at t = 20 s.
(ii) Using your graph, determine the total displacement of the scooter in 20 s.
(iii) Find the average acceleration for the whole 20 s interval and show that it differs from both 1.5 m/s² and 0.5 m/s². Explain why this result is obtained.