Question 5.8:

The driver of a three-wheeler moving with a speed of 36 km/h sees a child standing in the middle of the road and brings his vehicle to rest in 4.0 s just in time to save the child. What is the average retarding force on the vehicle? The mass of the three-wheeler is 400 kg and the mass of the driver is 65 kg.


The initial speed of the three-wheeler, u = 36 km/h

Final speed of the three-wheeler, v = 10 m/s

Time, t = 4 s

Mass of the three-wheeler, m = 400 kg

Mass of the driver, m' = 65 kg

Total mass of the system, M = 400 + 65 = 465 kg

Using the first law of motion, the acceleration (a) of the three-wheeler can be calculated as v = u + at

 a = v - ut = 0 - 104 = -2.5 m/s2

The negative sign indicates that the velocity of the three-wheeler is decreasing with time.

Using Newton’s second law of motion, the net force acting on the three-wheeler can be calculated as:

F = Ma

= 465 × (–2.5) = –1162.5 N

The negative sign indicates that the force is acting against the direction of motion of the three-wheeler.