Coasting due south on your bicycle at 6.9 m/s, you encounter a sandy patch of road 8.2 m across. When you leave the sandy patch your speed has been reduced by 2.8 m/s to 4.1 m/s.
(a) Assuming the sand causes a constant acceleration, what was the bicycle's acceleration in the sandy patch? Give both magnitude and direction.
(b) How long did it take to cross the sandy patch?
(c) Suppose you enter the sandy patch with a speed of 5.9 m/s. Is your final speed in this case equal to, more than, or less than 3.1 m/s?