Problem 2-101 - Linear Kinematics - Part 3 - (b)
A car \((c)\) with one headlight burned out is traveling at a constant speed of \(18 \;m/s\) and passes a stopped police car \((p)\). The car is pursued immediately by the police cruiser, which has a constant acceleration of magnitude \(2.2 \;m/s^2.\)
(a) How far does the police cruiser travel before catching the other car?
(b) At what time will this occur? (Hint: Graphing may help to visualize this problem.)
\(x_c = x_{0_c} + v_{0_c}t + ½ \;at^2, \text{with} \; x_{0_c} = 0\)
could be correct if you recognize that, for the car, \(a = 0\) and so the equation reduces to
\(x_c = x_{0_c} + v_{0_c}t, \text{with}\; x_{0_c}= 0\)
which is choice (a) as the best choice.