Kinematics Car Problem?
Anna is driving from Champaign to Indianapolis on I-74. She passes the Prospect Ave. exit at noon and maintains a constant speed of 75 mph for the entire trip. Chuck is driving in the opposite direction. He passes the Brownsburg, IN exit at 12:30pm and maintains a constant speed of 65 mph all the way to Champaign. Assume that the Brownsburg and Prospect exits are 105 miles apart, and that the road is straight.
How far from the Prospect Ave. exit do Anna and Chuck pass each other?
Comments
Their relative velocity is 140 mph, so the time it takes for them to meet is
t = d / v = 105mi / 140mi/h = 0.75 hr
Distance from Prospect Ave is
d = v * t = 75mi/h * 0.75h = 56 mi