An aircraft carrier's munitions elevator is used to transport heavy ordnance to the flight… — Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)

An aircraft carrier's munitions elevator is used to transport heavy ordnance to the flight deck. The elevator starts from a complete stop and accelerates upward at a constant rate of $0.5 \text{ m/s}^2$ . How many seconds will it take for the elevator to reach its maximum operational upward velocity of $120 \text{ meters per minute}$ ?

4Answer
B
240
C
60
D
1

Answer

To find the elapsed time, the units must first be standardized. Since acceleration is given in meters per second squared (

0.5 \text{ m/s}^2

), the target velocity must be converted from meters per minute to meters per second by dividing by 60. This gives a final velocity of

2 \text{ m/s}

. Using the formula for time (

t = \frac{\Delta v}{a}

), dividing

2 \text{ m/s}

0.5 \text{ m/s}^2

results in exactly 4 seconds.

Step-by-Step Solution

Identify the given variables and the unknown.

Initial velocity (

v_i

) =

0 \text{ m/s}

. Acceleration (

a

) =

0.5 \text{ m/s}^2

. Final velocity (

v_f

) =

120 \text{ m/min}

. Unknown is time (

t

Establishing the known kinematic values is the first step in solving acceleration problems.

Convert the final velocity into standard units (meters per second) to match the acceleration unit.

120 \text{ m/min} \div 60 \text{ s/min} = 2 \text{ m/s}

All units must be consistent before applying mathematical formulas.

Apply the acceleration formula

a = \frac{v_f - v_i}{t}

and solve for

t

0.5 = \frac{2 - 0}{t}

, which rearranges to

t = \frac{2}{0.5} = 4 \text{ seconds}

This calculates the elapsed time required to achieve the desired change in velocity.

Key Concept

Kinematic equations and unit conversion for acceleration.

Estimated Time:1m 0s

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