Some 1D kinematics problems

Try to do all 3 problems. In each problem, figure out first what you know, what you don't know, and what you WANT to know. Then pick an appropriate kinematics equation. Write the equation you are going to use on your paper before you go on to solve it.

Your textbook derives in Section 2.5 these four equations for the special (and common) case of constant acceleration:

Parts written in italics are optional -- do them only if you have finished everything else. Beware: they may be tricky!

Remember that objects falling near earth with no forces acting except gravity have a downwards acceleration of 9.8 m/s^2.

Indianapolis race cars make a rolling start. At the beginning of the race they are moving at 120 mph and they accelerate to 250 mph in 4.0 seconds.
1. What is the acceleration of the cars?
2. How far do they travel in this acceleration phase?
3. The Indianapolis race track is an oval 2.5 miles in circumference. Estimate the displacement of the cars from the start to the end of this acceleration phase.
You throw a ball upwards at 15 m/s toward a platform located 2.0 m above the point where you release the ball.
1. Find the time taken to reach the platform.
2. Find the velocity when the ball reaches the platform.
3. The ball misses the platform and falls back down, landing on your foot. How fast is it going when it hits your foot?
You notice a falcon flying past the Kodak office building with a constant acceleration. It goes down 6 stories in 1.5 seconds, and at the end has a downwards velocity of 18 m/s. Please do remember that falcons have wings....
1. What is the acceleration of the bird?
2. What was the initial speed of the bird?
In Jules Verne's novel From the Earth to the Moon, a group of engineers builds a really, really big cannon:

The cannon, which has a muzzle about 700 feet long , accelerates a shell from rest to a final speed of 12,000 yards per second.
What is the acceleration of the projectile -- and the people inside it? Express your answer in terms of the acceleration due to gravity, g = 9.8 m/s^2.