A Car of mass 1000kg applies a constant 200N breaking force over a distance of 30m and comes to a complete stop. How fast was the car going the instant the brakes were engaged.

Before we start we should have some idea of the route of our solution. We should observe that force, distance and work have a relation and that mass, velocity and work have a relation. So we should calculate the work done by the brakes stopping the car. W=FD so W = 20030=6000J We know work = change in energy and that the final energy is 0. So we now know that the starting energy of the car KE = 6000J We now look to the kinetic energy equation that states KE = 1/2 * m * v^2 solving for v we have v=sqrt(2KE/m) we now just plug in v = sqrt(26000/1000) = sqrt(12) = 3.46 ms^-1

SO
Answered by Sean O. Physics tutor

3903 Views

See similar Physics GCSE tutors

Related Physics GCSE answers

All answers ▸

A bullet is fired horizontally from a rifle 1.5m from the ground at 430m/s. How far does it travel and for how long does it travel before it hits the ground?


Describe how a crumple zone on a car reduces injury to the driver in a crash.


When a force is applied to a spring, the spring extends by 12cm. The spring has a spring constant of 25 N/m. Calculate the force applied to the string in N.


Why do we say that objects moving in a circle have acceleration even if their speed remains constant?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning