Problema Solution

A train is traveling at a rate of 32 km/hr and later at the bottom of a grade 40 seconds later is going 80 km/hr. What is its acceleration in km/hr^2? What is the average velocity down the grade? How long is the grade?

Answer provided by our tutors

v0 = 32 km/h the initial velocity


v1 = 80 km/h the final velocity


t = 40 s = 40/3600 hr = 1/90 hr


a = (v1 - v0)/t is the formula for the acceleration


a = (80 - 32)/(1/90)


a = 4,320 km/hr^2


the length of the grade d = vot + (1/2)a*t^2


d = 32*(1/90) + (1/2)*4320*(1/90)^2


d = 28/45


d = 0.62 km


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the average velocity v = d/t


v = (28/45)/(1/90)


v = 56 km/h


another way to find the velocity is to find the average of the initial and the final velocity:


v = (1/2)(v0 + v1)


v = (1/2)(32 + 80)


v = 56 km/h.