Chameleons can rapidly project their very long tongues to catch nearby insects.

Question

Chameleons can rapidly project their very long tongues to catch nearby insects. The tongue of the tiny Rosette-nosed chameleon has the highest acceleration of a body part of any amniote (reptile, bird, or mammal) ever measured. In a somewhat simplified model of its tongue motion, the tongue, starting from rest, first undergoes a constant-acceleration phase with an astounding magnitude of 2500 m/s2. This acceleration brings the tongue up to a final speed of 5.0 m/s. It continues at this speed for 22 ms until it hits its target. What is the total distance traveled by the chameleon's tongue?

Explanation / Answer

Distance traveled in the first phase:

d = (v2 - u2)/2a = 52/(2[2500]) = 0.005 m

distance traveled in the second phase:

d' = vt = 5 x 0.022 = 0.11 m

so, the total distance traveled by the chameleon's tongue is:

D = d + d' = 0.115 m.

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