Two cars start from rest at a red stop light. When the light turns green, both cars accelerate forward. The blue car accelerates uniformly at a rate of 3.1 m/s2 for 3.7 seconds. It then continues at a constant speed for 12.4 seconds, before applying the brakes such that the car’s speed decreases uniformly coming to rest 174.91 meters from where it started. The yellow car accelerates uniformly for the entire distance, finally catching the blue car just as the blue car comes to a stop.
1. What is the acceleration of the blue car once the brakes are applied?
2. How far does the blue car travel before its brakes are applied to slow down?