Two cars are set to drag race. The two cars are driven by
Dastardly Dave and Honest Abe. Dastardly Dave jumps the flag and
starts at t = 0 s, accelerating at a constant rate. One second later
Honest Abe starts, accelerating at a constant rate. At t = 4 s, they
both have the same speed. Compare their accelerations at t = 4
s.
Students who suffer from this misconception will assume that the
accelerations of the two drivers must be equal if they have the same
speed (and direction) at 4 s.
Related misconceptions/student difficulties that may
arise in the question:
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