What Determines the Final Velocity of a Car?

How is the final velocity of a car determined when it accelerates uniformly?

Understanding Final Velocity

When a car accelerates uniformly, its final velocity is determined by its initial velocity, acceleration, and the time elapsed during the acceleration process.

The Equation for Final Velocity

Final velocity (v) can be calculated using the equation:

v = u + at

Where:
v = final velocity
u = initial velocity
a = acceleration
t = time elapsed

Application to the Data

Given the data in the question:
Initial velocity u = 16 m/s
Acceleration a = 0.22 m/s²
Elapsed time t = 12.0 s

To determine the final velocity of the car, we substitute the values into the equation and solve for v:

v = 16 + (0.22 x 12)

v = 16 + 2.64

Final velocity v = 18.64 m/s

Therefore, in this scenario, the final velocity of the car when initially traveling at 16 m/s and accelerating at 0.22 m/s² for 12 seconds is 18.64 meters per second.