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The root page Examples from Energy could not be found in space Modeling Applied to Problem Solving.
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Photo by Lt. Col. Derik Crotts, courtesy of U.S. Army

Top-fuel dragsters like the one shown above accelerate from rest at a tremendous rate. They race on a straight 1/4 mile long track. From a standing start, they complete the quarter mile in about 4.5 seconds and reach a speed of about 330 mph by the finish line.

    Part A

    Show that the statistics given in the problem introduction are inconsistent at the 10% level with the assumption that the dragster produces constant acceleration as it moves down the track.

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    Part B

    Using the fact that a top-fuel dragster will typically weigh 2200 lbs (equivalent to a mass of 1000 kg), show that the assumption that the dragster moves down the track with a constant value for the power delivered to the car in the form of kinetic energy is consistent at (approximately) the 10% level.

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