If you double your speed, stopping distance increases by what factor?

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Multiple Choice

If you double your speed, stopping distance increases by what factor?

Explanation:
The key idea is that braking distance grows with the square of speed. When you double your speed, the energy that must be dissipated to stop (which is proportional to v^2) increases fourfold, so the braking distance becomes about four times longer. In many problems, stopping distance is treated as the braking distance component, which is why the answer is four times longer. (If you include reaction distance as well, which increases linearly with speed, the total stopping distance would be more than four times longer.)

The key idea is that braking distance grows with the square of speed. When you double your speed, the energy that must be dissipated to stop (which is proportional to v^2) increases fourfold, so the braking distance becomes about four times longer. In many problems, stopping distance is treated as the braking distance component, which is why the answer is four times longer. (If you include reaction distance as well, which increases linearly with speed, the total stopping distance would be more than four times longer.)

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