Cautious Carol (C2) eases over into the fast lane of the freeway ata speed of 70 mph. Tailgater Tommy (T2) , using his cell phone andadjusting the radio, comes blasting up behind her to within 2.5 mof her rear bumper before slowing to an identical speed. SuddenlyCarol has to panic stop due to a highway obstruction. Tommyâsreaction time, lengthened due to distractions to 0.75 s, combinedwith his tailgating habit has dire consequences. Even assuming thatboth carâs slow down at the same rate there will be a collision.Letâs assume that the magnitude of the braking acceleration is 0.7g (= 6.86 m/s2) and answer the following questions.
1. What is the initial speed of T2 and C2 in m/s?
2. If no collision occurred, what would be C2âs stopping distance(in m)?
3. Measured from the point where C2 hits the brakes, how far doesshe travel before T2 rear-ends her (in m)?
4. What is the difference in their speeds (in m/s) when theycollide?
5. What would be the minimum safe following distance (in m) for T2at these speeds?
Does the last result make sense of the recommended followingdistance of 1 car length per every 10 mph of speed?