To practice Problem-Solving Strategy for general problems. Two hockey pucks, labeled A and B, are initially at rest on a smooth ice surface and are separated by a distance of 18.0 m. Simultaneously, each puck is given a quick push, and they begin to slide directly toward each other. Puck A moves with a speed of 2.10 m/s, and puck B moves with a speed of 3.70 m/s. What is the distance covered by puck A by the time the two pucks collide?
Now you can use the information and the insights that you have accumulated to construct the necessary mathematical representation of this problem and to derive the solution.
Here are two relevant equations that you may not yet know how to derive (the notation corresponds to the notation used in the pictorial representation above):
(x_1)_A = (x_0)_A + (upsilon_0x)_A t_1
and
(x_1)_B = (x_0)_B + (upsilon_0x)_B t_1.
(Since (upsilon_0x)_B has a negative value and (upsilon_0x)_A has a positive value, the pucks are moving in opposite directions.)
What is x_1, the distance that puck A covers prior to the collision? Express your answer in meters to three significant figures. Do not Include units in your answer.