Two cars travel in the same direction on the freeway. Car A travels at a speed of 0.95, while car B can only muster a speed of 0.65. What is the relative speed of the cars? The relative speed of the cars is_.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The relative speed of the two cars is the difference in their speeds when they are traveling in the same direction. This means that to find the relative speed, we subtract the speed of car B from the speed of car A.
Given:
- Speed of car A = 0.95 (assuming units of km/h or m/s)
- Speed of car B = 0.65
To calculate the relative speed:
Relative speed = Speed of car A – Speed of car B
Relative speed = 0.95 – 0.65 = 0.30
Thus, the relative speed of the two cars is 0.30 (in the same units as the given speeds, such as km/h or m/s).
Explanation:
Relative speed is a measure of how fast one object is moving in relation to another object. When two objects travel in the same direction, the relative speed is the difference in their speeds. This is because the objects are moving toward or away from each other at a rate equal to the difference in their velocities. For example, if both cars are moving in the same direction and one car is faster than the other, the relative speed represents how quickly the faster car is approaching the slower car.
In this case, car A is faster than car B by 0.30 units of speed. This means that every second, car A is closing the gap between the two cars by 0.30 units. If car A maintains this speed advantage over a period of time, it will gradually increase the distance between the two cars.