Question
t is estimated that a driver takes, on average, 1.5 seconds from secing an obstacle to reacting by applying the brake or swerving. How far will a car traveling at 26 miles per hour travel (in feet) before the driver reacts to an obstacle? Round to one decimal place. ft .
Ask by Pollard Bradley. in the United States
Feb 27,2025
Upstudy AI Solution
Tutor-Verified Answer
Answer
A car traveling at 26 mph will travel about 57.2 feet before the driver reacts to an obstacle.
Solution
To find the reaction distance, we first need to convert the car's speed from miles per hour to feet per second.
1. There are 5280 feet in a mile and 3600 seconds in an hour.
2. Converting 26 miles per hour into feet per second:
26 mph = 26 × (5280 feet / 3600 seconds)
= 26 × 1.46667 ft/s (approximately)
≈ 38.13 ft/s
3. The reaction distance is the speed in feet per second multiplied by the reaction time (1.5 seconds):
Reaction distance = 38.13 ft/s × 1.5 s ≈ 57.2 feet
Thus, a car traveling at 26 mph will travel approximately 57.2 feet before the driver reacts to an obstacle.
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Simplify this solution Mind Expander
To find out how far a car travels before a driver reacts, we can use the formula for distance: distance = speed × time. First, convert the speed from miles per hour to feet per second. Since 1 mile = 5280 feet and 1 hour = 3600 seconds, we have: 26 miles/hour = (26 × 5280) / 3600 ≈ 38.133 feet/second. Next, multiply this speed by the reaction time of 1.5 seconds: Distance = 38.133 feet/second × 1.5 seconds ≈ 57.2 feet. So, the car will travel approximately 57.2 feet before the driver reacts to an obstacle.
