Serway & Jewett — The Laws of Motion: Problem 33

You have been called as an expert witness for a trial in which a driver has been charged with speeding but is claiming innocence. He claims to have slammed on his brakes to avoid rear-ending another car, but tapped the back of the other car just as he came to rest. You have been hired by the prosecution to prove that the driver was indeed speeding. You have received data as follows from the police: Skid marks left by the driver are 56.0 m long and the roadway is level. Tires matching those on the car of the driver have been dragged over the same roadway to determine that the coefficient of kinetic friction between the tires and the roadway is 0.82 at all points along the skid mark. The speed limit on the road is 35 mi/h. Construct an argument to be used in court to show that the driver was indeed speeding.