CES 2205 Dynamics of Rigid Bodies

Assignment No. 1: Rectilinear Motion of Particles

Answer the following problems. Use a white-colored paper. Submit your solutions in PDF format using the
following filename convention: A1_Last Name, First Name.

1. The position of the particle that moves along the x-axis is given by 𝑥 = 𝑡 3 − 6𝑡 2 − 32𝑡 (m), where 𝑡

is the time in seconds. Determine the position, velocity, and acceleration, and distance traveled at 𝑡 =

10 sec.

2. Tests reveal that a normal driver takes about 0.75 𝑠 before he or she can react to a situation to avoid a

collision. It takes about 3 𝑠 for a driver having 0.1% alcohol in his system to do the same. If such drivers

are traveling on a straight road at 30 mph (44 ft/s) and their cars can decelerate at 2 ft/s2, determine the

shortest stopping distance d for each from the moment they see the pedestrians. Moral: If you must

drink, please don’t drive!

3. A driver traveling at 80 kph sees a wall at a certain distance ahead. The driver applies the brake

immediately and the car slows down at the rate of 6 m/s2. The perception reaction time of the driver is

1.5 seconds. If the clear distance between the wall and the car, at the point where the car stopped, is 12

m, how far was the car from the wall at the instant the driver noticed the wall?

4. The acceleration of a particle as it moves along a straight line is given by 𝑎 = (2𝑡 − 1) 𝑚/𝑠 2 where t

is in seconds. If 𝑠 = 1 𝑚 and 𝑣 = 2 𝑚/𝑠 when 𝑡 = 0 determine the particle’s velocity and position

when 𝑡 = 6 𝑠. Also, determine the total distance the particle travels during this time period.

5. Two particles A and B start from rest at the origin and move along a straight line such that 𝑎𝐴 =

(6𝑡 − 3)𝑓𝑡/𝑠 2 and 𝑎𝐵 = (12𝑡 2 − 8)𝑓𝑡/𝑠 2, where t is in seconds. Determine the distance between

them when 𝑡 = 4 𝑠 and the total distance each has traveled in t = 4 s.