Halliday, Resnick & Walker — Motion Along a Straight Line: Problem 68

68 A salamander of the genus Hydromantes captures prey by launching its tongue as a projectile: The skeletal part of the tongue is shot forward, unfolding the rest of the tongue, until the outer portion lands on the prey, sticking to it. Figure 2-24 shows the acceleration magnitude \(a\) versus time \(t\) for the acceleration phase of the launch in a typical situation. The indicated accelerations are \(a_2 = 400 \text{ m/s}^2\) and \(a_1 = 100 \text{ m/s}^2\). What is the outward speed of the tongue at the end of the acceleration phase?