A scientific research probe is launched vertically downwards into a liquid methane ocean on a distant moon. It starts from rest and accelerates uniformly under thruster assist for 14 s until it reaches its terminal scanning velocity.
The scanning velocity of the probe is 48 m/s.
Show that the acceleration of the probe during this descent phase is approximately 3.4 m/s2.
53 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Physics 2.2 Speed, velocity and acceleration, covering 2.2.1 Speed and distance–time graphs, 2.2.2 Acceleration and the uniform-acceleration equation, 2.2.3 Velocity–time graphs, and 2.2.4 Measuring speed, typical speeds and free-fall acceleration. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.