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