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After the substitution, rewrite the equation so that there is a difference of two squares on the left-hand side.
36 mph
To find the speed of the car, we will use the given formula.
1/24 s^2= d
Here, s is the vehicle's speed in miles per hour and d is the length of the skid marks in feet. We need to substitute 54 for d into this formula.
Notice that 1296 is the square of 36. Let's rewrite it so all terms are on the left-hand side and then factor it.
Write as a power
LHS-36^2=RHS-36^2
a^2-b^2=(a+b)(a-b)
To solve this equation, we will apply the Zero Product Property.
Use the Zero Product Property
(I): LHS+36=RHS+36
(II): LHS-36=RHS-36
Since speed cannot be negative, we ignore the negative solution. The speed of the car is 36 mph.