A police car in a high-speed chase is traveling north on a two-lane highway at 35.0 m/s. In the southbound lane of the same highway, an SUV is moving at 18.0 m/s. Take the positive x-direction to be toward the north. Find the x-velocity of the police car relative to the SUV.

Question

Physics

Alonzo Lucero

3 August, 17:12

A police car in a high-speed chase is traveling north on a two-lane highway at 35.0 m/s. In the southbound lane of the same highway, an SUV is moving at 18.0 m/s. Take the positive x-direction to be toward the north. Find the x-velocity of the police car relative to the SUV.

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Answers (1)

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Ibrahim Quinn · Answer 1

53 m/s

Explanation:

Since we take the positive x-direction to be toward the north, an SUV travelling to the south would have a negative velocity, - 18m/s, relative to Earth. Velocity of Earth relative to the SUV would be 18m/s. And velocity of police car relative to Earth would be positive, 35 m/s.

Velocity of police relative to SUV would equal to velocity of police car relative to Earth plus velocity of Earth relative to SUV

= 35 + 18 = 53 m/s