Naija
MathGenesis assistant
Hi, I'm Naija, the MathGenesis assistant. I can help you find the right course, explain pricing or get your first session booked. What are you looking for?
Choose your speed and see why braking distance grows with the square of it.
A child steps into a crosswalk 130 ft ahead. Pick your speed and hit the brakes. Can you stop in time?
Find the fastest speed that still stops in time.
Thinking distance
Braking distance
Dry road and a 1.5 second reaction time.
Stopping a car happens in two parts. First you react: your eyes spot the danger and your foot moves to the brake. At 40 mph you cover about 88 feet in that second and a half, before the brakes even start working.
Then you brake, and braking distance depends on the square of your speed, because the energy of a moving car grows with its speed squared. Double the speed and you need four times the road to stop.
That is why school zones have such low limits. It is the quadratic functions from Algebra 1 and the kinetic energy from Physics, written on a road sign.
Every one of them runs on the math and physics we teach.
So, impressed?
Imagine what an hour a week with a patient tutor can do.