BRAINCAKEThinking Distance
The thinking distance is the distance a vehicle travels during the driver's reaction time, from the moment the driver sees a hazard to the moment the brakes are applied.
During this time the vehicle is assumed to be moving at constant speed, so thinking distance = speed × reaction time, s = vt0. The thinking distance is therefore directly proportional to the speed: doubling the speed doubles the thinking distance.
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More in Newtons Laws of Motion
- Object Falling in a Fluid
- Terminal Speed
- Motion of a Powered Vehicle
- Stopping Distance
- Braking Distance
- Practical: Measuring Friction
- Impact Force
- Contact Time and Impact Time
All 16 lessons in Newtons Laws of Motion · All AQA AS-level Physics topics