The simulations to the right challenge you to a game that resembles shuffleboard. Your mission is to have the pucks travel exactly 5.00 meters to the goal line on the right edge of the playing board. If you can get a puck to stop on the line in each of the simulations, you will have demonstrated that you have learned the essentials of this chapter and you will win the game.

In the first simulation, the red puck has a constant acceleration of −0.289 meters per second squared. Once it reaches zero velocity, it stops moving. (Consider the negative acceleration to be a slowing due to friction.)

Calculate the initial velocity for the puck that will cause it to travel 5.00 meters and stop. Enter this value in the simulation to the nearest 0.01 m/s and press GO to set it moving.

The green puck in the second simulation is a little more mysterious. It also has a constant acceleration, but you do not know what it is. You will have to slide the puck in order to record data and calculate its acceleration. Like the red puck, it will stop when it reaches zero velocity. Pick an initial velocity for the puck and observe what happens − the PAUSE button proves handy as you record data. (An initial velocity of 1.00 m/s is a useful velocity at which to gather data.) Once you calculate the acceleration of the green puck, you can calculate the initial velocity that will cause it to slide 5.00 meters. Enter this value to the nearest 0.01 m/s.

If you have difficulty solving this problem, the section on motion equations will help you.