Large cockroaches can run as fast as 1.50 m/s in short bursts. Suppose you turn on the light in a cheap motel and see one scurrying directly away from you at a constant 1.50 m/s. If you start 0.90 m behind the cockroach with
an initial speed of 0.80 m/s toward it, what minimum constant acceleration would you need to catch up with it
when it has traveled 1.20 m, just short of safety onder a counter?

The time that you need to use 1.2/1.5 because this is how long it took the cockroach to travel the 1.2 meters to the counter. That is therefore how long you have to catch up to it.

Explanation:

Consider newtonian mechanics here.

Dynamic equation is

The time we have to use 1.2/1.5 this how long it took the cockroach to travel the 1.2 meters to the counter.

we'll consider newtonian mechanics here.

so the dynamic equations is S = ut + 0.5at^2

we know u=0.8

S=1.2+0.9

t=1.2/1.5

find a.

not too sure thinking all accelerations are pointed down