[Basic Velocity] Finding velocity with x and y distances?

[physxaffinity]

Ex. problem. A plane is flying 140m above the surface. A parachutist drops out of the plane and lands 60m from where he jumped out. What is the plane's velocity?

I used the Pythagorean theorem to find the displacement of the parachutist, i.e. the hypotenuse. I then multiplied the parachutist's displacement by two times the acceleration of gravity. The product would be some velocity squared. I don't know if this is the correct velocity, so I'm wondering how to find that.

 

[SteamKing]

Ex. problem. A plane is flying 140m above the surface. A parachutist drops out of the plane and lands 60m from where he jumped out. What is the plane's velocity?

I used the Pythagorean theorem to find the displacement of the parachutist, i.e. the hypotenuse. I then multiplied the parachutist's displacement by two times the acceleration of gravity. The product would be some velocity squared. I don't know if this is the correct velocity, so I'm wondering how to find that.

So, you're just guessing what the correct answer is.

The plane is flying at an altitude of 140 m. How long does it take for something to fall from that height and hit the ground?

 

[physxaffinity]

Edit: It would take 5.35 seconds.

 

[SteamKing]

You've got a distance and a time now. What's the velocity of the plane?

 

[physxaffinity]

60m/5.35s = ~12m/s

Yay SteamKing! Thanks for your help.