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fighting a ticket: MATH!
First off I have to say that math rules. It is pure reason. No opinion. No
flames. I think we should all post using math so that everybody only uses pure
reason. I'm kidding of course.....
Now to that poor ticketed fellow. I have used math twice to defend obviously
bogus tickets, only to confuse the judge and worsen things. But none the less
we shall do what it takes. He is probably correct in saying that the ticket is
bogus. "I had to go 105 to catch you so thats how fast you were going...".
Wow.
Lets make a few assumptions so we don't have to get REALLY complicated. All of
these are to the officer's advantage.
A)The officer reacted by accelerating from a start on dry flat pavement 5
seconds after you passed. (any other surface would have negatively impacted
his acceleration and I think 5 seconds is reasonable)
B)The acceleration of the car is linear. This is biased from real life so that
the car accelerates better at the higher speeds. Unfortunately, if the judge
can see it, this is in your favor.
Now...105 mph = 46.94 meters/second (m/s). Given the linear acceleration,
v=a*t1, so 46.94 m/s / (t1)26 seconds = 1.805 m/s^2 = A
The total distance from where he was to where you were caught is X. You need
to figure out this number for the final answer.
For the cop, X (in meters) = 1/2*a*(t1^2) + 46.94*t2 since we know the first
"a" and "t1" we can make "1/2*a*(t1^2)" = 610.2 m and then use that to figure
out what t2 (the amount of time he was going 105 in an effort to catch you) is.
For you, Z mph = X(in miles)/((t1 + t2 + 5 seconds) in hours) This will
require some unit conversions. 1 foot = .3048 m, 1 mile = 5280 feet, 1 mile =
1609.3 meters, 1 hour = 3600 seconds
If the distance X was 1 mile(=1609 m ) for example, 1609 = 610.2 + 46.94*t2 ,
t2 = 21.3 seconds
for you then, Z mph = 1/((26+21.3+5)/3600) = 69 mph
If the distance was 2 miles(=3218 m ), 3218 = 610 + 46.94*t2, t2 = 55.56 seconds
for you then Z = 2/((26+55.56+5)/3600) = 83 mph
if you can get the cop to say "i accelerated as fsat as I could to 105 and then
stayed that fast until I caught you" and "it took between 1 and 2 miles to
catch you" you are all set.
If you confuse the judge, at least show that it was a wide open deserted
hughway and you weren't hurting anyone.
I got a ticket 7 years back for 140 in the middle of Alaska and I got a $100
fine and 6 points.
Only disadvantage: insurance
good luck! You have pure reason on your side!
chris