How far will the average car travel while accelerating from 0 to 50 mph in moderate traffic?

Answer 1

Various assumptions have to be made, eg:

That the car accelerates at a constant rate

That the traffic (and road conditions) allows the car to get to 50 mph in one acceleration.

If the car accelerates at a constant rate, then Newtons equations of motion can be used:

v = u + at → a = (v - u)/t

s = ut + ½at² → s = ut + ½(v - u)t

Now u = 0 mph (initial speed)

v = 50 mph (final speed)

(a = acceleration, assumed to be constant)

(t = time)

→ s = 25t miles where t in is hours

A much more useful formula is to convert to yards per second:

1 mile = 1760 yards

1 hour = 3600 seconds

→ s = 25×1760/3600 t

= 110t/9 yards where t is in seconds.

for example if it takes 9 seconds to reach 50 mph, it will travel 110×9/9 = 110 yards.

Answer 2

The answer depends on how quickly the car accelerates from 0 to 50. In moderate traffic in most urban areas, it could travel hundreds of miles.