Name_______________________________ Period_______ Date________

Acceleration Problems - 1

Please answer each of the following questions. Show all work.

1. A roller coaster car rapidly picks up speed as it rolls down a slope. As it starts down the slope, its
speed is 4 m/s. But 3 seconds later, at the bottom of the slope, its speed is 22 m/s. What is its
average acceleration?

2. A cyclist accelerates from 0 m/s to 8 m/s in 3 seconds. What is his acceleration ? Is this
acceleration higher than that of a car which accelerates from 0 to 30 m/s in 8 seconds?

3. A car advertisement states that a certain car can accelerate from rest to 70 km/h in 7 seconds. Find
the car’s average acceleration.

4. A lizard accelerates from 2 m/s to 10 m/s in 4 seconds. What is the lizard’s average acceleration?

5. If a Ferrari, with an initial velocity of 10 m/s, accelerates at a rate of 50 m/s/s for 3 seconds, what
will its final velocity be?

1. A cheetah starts from rest and accelerates at 5 m/s2. What is its final speed after 6 seconds?
2. A penguin is sliding on ice at 8 m/s. After 16 seconds, it comes to a rest. What is the penguin’s
average acceleration?
3. You are running at 10 m/s. To win the race, you must increase your speed to 15 m/s in 2.5
seconds. What is the acceleration needed to achieve this new speed?
4. An airplane has just landed and is moving at 40 m/s. The pilot applies the brakes which
accelerates the airplane at -8 m/s2. How many seconds does it take the airplane to come to a rest?

5. To avoid a collision, a train needs to come to a rest in less than 5 seconds. The train is currently
moving at 50 m/s. What is the minimum acceleration needed to avoid the collision?
6. An electron starts from rest. It moves with a constant acceleration and after 2 seconds, it is moving
at 1200 m/s. If an electron travels with this acceleration, how many seconds will it take the
electron to accelerate from rest to the speed of light (300,000,000 m/s)?

7. A rocket in space is moving at a constant velocity of 10 m/s and then uses its propulsion system to
accelerate to 20 m/s during a 3.0 minute burn. What is the acceleration of the rocket?

8. A fire truck is rushing to extinguish a fire. It must accelerate from rest to 60 m/s in at least 12
seconds. What is the fire truck’s minimum acceleration to reach the building in time?

9. Rocket-powered sleds are used to test human response to acceleration. A rocket-powered sled at
rest is accelerated to 444 m/s in 2 seconds. What is its acceleration?

10. An ice cream truck is moving along at 20 m/s. The truck accelerates for 4 seconds at 8 m/s2. What
is the truck’s final speed after 5 seconds?

11. A student pulls out of a parking lot. After 7 seconds, the car is traveling 40 m/s. What is the car’s
acceleration? What would be the car’s speed if it accelerated at this rate for 90 seconds?

12. Mr. Gangluff has caught a kid texting in the hallway. He begins running after the kid with an
acceleration of 4 m/s2. The kid runs with a constant speed of 15 m/s. After 8 seconds, who is
running faster? Is it safe to text near Mr. Gangluff?
13. A stone is dropped from the top of a building. As it falls toward the ground, it accelerates at 9.8
m/s2. What is the stone’s speed after 3 seconds of falling?
14. This time, a stone is thrown downwards from the top of a building at 10 m/s. As it falls toward the
ground, it accelerates at 9.8 m/s2. What is the stone’s speed after 3 seconds of falling?

15. A soccer ball is rolling on grass and friction causes it to accelerate at -3 m/s2. If it is initially
rolling at 13.5 m/s, how many seconds will it take the ball to stop?

16. Fred is running with an initial velocity of 4 m/s. Bob is running with an initial velocity of 5 m/s. In
the next three seconds, Fred accelerates at 1.5 m/s2 and Bob accelerates at 1 m/s2. After the three
seconds pass, who is running faster?

17. A bear, starting from rest, begins chasing a hunter. The bear accelerates to 20 m/s. The bear runs
through a river and accelerates at -2 m/s2 for 7 seconds. Once it is back on land, it accelerates at 3
m/s2 for 4 seconds. It then loses sight of the hunter and comes to a rest. What is the bear’s average
acceleration for the entire trip? (Hint: recall the definition of average acceleration)

1. You pull a wagon up a 100m hill at 2m/s and get in and roll down the other side of the same 100m hill
at 10m/s.
a. How much time does this entire trip take? ____________
b. What is the total distance of the trip? _____________
c. What’s the average velocity of this trip? ____________

2. A car goes 15miles at 45mph, then goes another 15miles at 30mph.

b. What is the average speed for the whole trip? ______________

3. Mr. Armstrong rides his bike at 10m/s for 60s and then at 15m/s for 20s.
a. Find the total distance traveled. _______________

b. Find his average velocity? _______________

4. You walk at 2m/s for 60 seconds and then run 10m/s for the next 60 seconds.
What’s your average speed? ________________

5. The Brady bunch went for a cross country drive. The first 2 hours they were driving 50mph, then they
stopped for dinner for 1 hour, and then drove the final 120miles at 30mph.
What was their average velocity for this family outing? ________________

Cross out the answers from the list below and circle the remaining one:
0.833hr 3.33m/s 6m/s 11.25m/s 31.4mph
36mph 45mph 60sec 200m 900m
6.