Calculating Initial Velocity: A Tractor's Acceleration

To determine the tractor's velocity before it began accelerating, we can utilize the equations of motion. The equation connecting initial velocity (u), final velocity (v), acceleration (a), and displacement (s) is:

vﾲ = uﾲ + 2as

Where:

• u represents the initial velocity* v represents the final velocity* a represents the acceleration* s represents the displacement

Given values:

• Acceleration (a) = 2 m/sﾲ* Distance (s) = 10 m* Final velocity (v) = 7 m/s

Substituting the values into the equation:

(7 m/s)ﾲ = uﾲ + 2 * 2 m/sﾲ * 10 m

49 mﾲ/sﾲ = uﾲ + 40 mﾲ/sﾲ

Rearranging the equation:

uﾲ = 49 mﾲ/sﾲ - 40 mﾲ/sﾲ

uﾲ = 9 mﾲ/sﾲ

Calculating the square root of both sides:

u = ﾱ3 m/s

Considering that velocity cannot be negative in this scenario, the tractor's initial velocity before acceleration was 3 m/s.