Question

distance, velocity, and acceleration
name:_______________________per_

1. renatta oyle is again found driving her 86 yugo down lake avenue, leaving the following trail of

oil drops on the pavement.
image of car and oil drops with start on right
if her car is moving from right to left, then ...
a. her velocity has a rightward direction and her acceleration has a rightward direction.
b. her velocity has a rightward direction and her acceleration has a leftward direction.
c. her velocity has a leftward direction and her acceleration has a rightward direction.
d. her velocity has a leftward direction and her acceleration has a leftward direction.

Explanation:

1. Velocity Direction: The car is moving from right to left, so velocity direction is leftward. Eliminate options a and b (which claim rightward velocity).
2. Acceleration Direction: The oil drops are spaced further apart as we move from right to left (since the car is moving left, the distance between drops increases, meaning speed is increasing). If velocity is leftward and speed is increasing, acceleration is in the same direction as velocity (leftward), because acceleration and velocity are in the same direction for speeding up. Thus, option d is correct.

(corrected):

1. Velocity Direction: The car moves from right to left, so velocity direction is leftward (eliminates a, b).
2. Acceleration Direction: The oil - drop spacing increases from right to left (car covers more distance over time), meaning speed (magnitude of velocity) is increasing. For an object speeding up, acceleration and velocity have the same direction. Since velocity is leftward, acceleration is also leftward. Thus, option d is correct.

Answer:

c. her velocity has a leftward direction and her acceleration has a rightward direction. (Wait, correction: Wait, the oil drops: as the car moves left, the spacing between drops increases (since the car is speeding up leftward). So velocity is left, acceleration is left (since speeding up in direction of motion). Wait, the original marked option is d? Wait, let's re - analyze:

Wait, the diagram: the "START" is on the right, and the drops are more spread out as we go left (towards the car). So when moving from right to left, the time between drops increases? No, wait, the car is moving left, so the position of the car is moving left. The oil drops are left - most at the car's current position. The spacing between drops: if the car is speeding up leftward, then the distance between consecutive drops (as time passes) increases, because in each time interval, the car moves a longer distance (since speed is increasing). So velocity is left (direction of motion). Acceleration: since speed is increasing (distance between drops increasing), acceleration is in the same direction as velocity (left), so option d: "her velocity has a leftward direction and her acceleration has a leftward direction" is correct.

Wait, my initial mistake: when the car moves left and the drops are more spread out (larger distance between drops), that means the car is covering more distance per unit time, so speed is increasing. So acceleration is in the direction of velocity (left). So the correct answer is d.