A vehicle, of total mass 1200 kg, is travelling along a straight, horizontal road at a constant speed of 13 ms⁻¹ - AQA - A-Level Maths Mechanics - Question 13 - 2021 - Paper 2

To find the acceleration of the vehicle, we can use the equation of motion:

$v^2 = u^2 + 2as$

Where:

• $v$ = final velocity = 17 m/s
• $u$ = initial velocity = 13 m/s
• $a$ = acceleration
• $s$ = distance = 40 m

Substituting the known values:

$(17)^2 = (13)^2 + 2a(40)$

This simplifies to:

$289 = 169 + 80a$

Now, rearranging to solve for $a$ gives:

$289 - 169 = 80a$ $120 = 80a$ $a = \frac{120}{80} = 1.5 \text{ m/s}^2$