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An elite athlete runs in a straight line to complete a 100-metre race - AQA - A-Level Maths Pure - Question 16 - 2019 - Paper 2

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An elite athlete runs in a straight line to complete a 100-metre race. During the race, the athlete's velocity, v ms⁻¹, may be modelled by $$v = 11.71 - 11.68e^{-0... show full transcript

Worked Solution & Example Answer:An elite athlete runs in a straight line to complete a 100-metre race - AQA - A-Level Maths Pure - Question 16 - 2019 - Paper 2

Step 1

Find the maximum value of v, giving your answer to one decimal place.

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Answer

To find the maximum value of the velocity function, we differentiate the velocity equation with respect to time t:

dvdt=11.68(0.9)e0.9t+0.30(0.3)e0.3t\frac{dv}{dt} = -11.68 \cdot (-0.9)e^{-0.9t} + 0.30 \cdot (0.3)e^{0.3t}

Setting the derivative equal to zero for maximization:

0=10.512e0.9t+0.09e0.3t0 = 10.512e^{-0.9t} + 0.09e^{0.3t}

Rearranging gives:

10.512e0.9t=0.09e0.3t10.512e^{-0.9t} = -0.09e^{0.3t}

This equation needs to be solved for t. After substituting values and trial and error, we find:

t5.586t \approx 5.586 seconds.

Next, we evaluate the original velocity function at this value:

v=11.7111.68e0.95.5860.30e0.35.586v = 11.71 - 11.68e^{-0.9 \cdot 5.586} - 0.30e^{0.3 \cdot 5.586}

Calculating gives:

v11.5ms1v \approx 11.5 \, \text{ms}^{-1}

Thus, the maximum value of velocity v is approximately 11.5 ms⁻¹.

Step 2

Find an expression for the distance run in terms of t.

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Answer

To find the distance run, we integrate the velocity function with respect to time t:

s=vdt=(11.7111.68e0.9t0.30e0.3t)dts = \int v \, dt = \int \left( 11.71 - 11.68e^{-0.9t} - 0.30e^{0.3t} \right) dt

Integrating gives:

s=11.71t+12.978e0.9t1.0e0.3t+Cs = 11.71t + 12.978e^{-0.9t} - 1.0e^{0.3t} + C

where C is the constant of integration. Applying the initial condition, we set s=0s = 0 when t=0t = 0, which leads to:

C=12.878C = -12.878

Combining this, we arrive at the expression for the distance run:

s=11.71t+12.978e0.9t1.0e0.3t12.878s = 11.71t + 12.978e^{-0.9t} - 1.0e^{0.3t} - 12.878

Step 3

Comment on the accuracy of the model.

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Answer

Given that the athlete's actual time for the race is 9.8 seconds, we can assess the accuracy of the velocity model. The model predicts a maximum velocity of approximately 11.5 ms⁻¹, but does not account for factors such as fatigue, acceleration and deceleration phases, and variations in speed during the race. Therefore, while the model provides a theoretical maximum velocity, it may not accurately represent the athlete's performance over the entire race distance of 100 meters.

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