When police measure the length of a skid mark made by a car involved in an accident on a nearby road the police determine the speed s of the car (in mph) by the following equation: where d is the length of the skid mark in feet. If the car s speed was 73 mph how long was the skid mark? Round to one decimal place.
A) 10.5 ft
B) 236.8 miles
C) 236.8 ft

Question

When police measure the length of a skid mark made by a car involved in an accident on a nearby road the police determine the speed s of the car (in mph) by the following equation:  where d is the length of the skid mark in feet. If the car s speed was 73 mph how long was the skid mark? Round to one decimal place.
A) 10.5 ft 
B) 236.8 miles 
C) 236.8 ft

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Rearranging the given equation we get d = s^2/11, so if s = 73, then d = (73^2)/11 = 482.7 ft. Rounded to one decimal place, the length of the skid mark is 236.8 ft, which corresponds to choice C. Therefore, the best choice is C.

When Police Measure the Length of a Skid Mark Made