Cars traveling two directions and their speed

dimikats

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Feb 1, 2009
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Hi. I'm not a student and I speak only a little "British" English (hee hee), but I do have a serious math question for you. This concerns a traffic citation I received and why the police officer was wrong to issue it.

Cars A, B, and C are traveling due east on a paved road at 30 miles per hour (more or less; the speed limit is 40).

Car D is stopped at an intersection facing north, but with the front of the car heading slightly east (since that's the direction she wants to turn).

A and B pass in front of D, then C enters the intersection. As C's right rear quarter panel is directly in front of D, the driver of D moves her foot from the brake pedal onto the accelerator and begins to accelerate, at 5-7 MPH.

Driver C swerves and brakes while honking. How fast would D have had to be traveling to actually collide with C?

No collision occurred. Given the speeds mentioned, I think it's impossible to have hit car C, but I don't know how to calculate it. I'll be taking this answer to court with me and I sincerely appreciate your help!
 
There are massive amounts of necessary information missing, not to mention the issue of documentation and witness testimony. Even as a physics exercise (not an arithmetic problem), this is unanswerable as currently posted.

To obtain the accident-reconstruction and legal-counsel services you seek, please hire licensed and bonded professionals from your area.

Good luck!

Eliz.
 
Um, no collision occurred--meaning there was no accident. I simply need to know how fast a car would have to be going to actually hit another car, given the specifications I mentioned.

"...massive amounts of necessary information missing..."? Really? Gee, and here I thought it was one of those "two trains heading toward each other" math word problems! All roads were dry, no fog or rain, although it was dark (5:55 AM). The lights of all the cars mentioned were functioning normally, as far I could tell. Each corner had a functioning streetlight.

Thanks anyway, I guess.
 
Well, if you think your question makes sense as a mathematical question,
why don't you show it to a math teacher at a nearby school...
 
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