Stopping Times

The physics of stopping a moving vehicle - such as a bike or car - is vitally important every day. FACT: get something wrong and people get hurt.

Stopping

The time taken to stop something is called the stopping time. This is made up from the thinking and braking times.

You must first decide whether to stop - the process of thinking takes time. We often call it the reaction time.

When the brakes are applied, the car slows down (decelerates). This also takes time: we call it the braking time.