Chiralic said:Homework Statement
If you have an object, say, falling off a cliff
and you have initial velocity (Vox) can you assume that its Vf would be zero in both x and y if it doesn't state or ask for a final velocity before impact?
eg) a car drives off a cliff and the site of impact is 32 m from the cliff, find Vo...can I assume Vf is 0?
thanks
Homework Equations
The Attempt at a Solution
Why in the world would you assume that? Falling bodies accelerate. The final speed of a body falling off a cliff will always be greater than its initial speed--not zero!Chiralic said:If you have an object, say, falling off a cliff
and you have initial velocity (Vox) can you assume that its Vf would be zero in both x and y if it doesn't state or ask for a final velocity before impact?
eg) a car drives off a cliff and the site of impact is 32 m from the cliff, find Vo...can I assume Vf is 0?
The final velocity of an object falling off a cliff can be calculated using the equation Vf = Vi + gt, where Vf is the final velocity, Vi is the initial velocity (usually 0 for objects dropped from rest), g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2), and t is the time elapsed. This equation assumes no air resistance.
Yes, the final velocity of an object falling off a cliff can be negative if it is falling downwards. This indicates that the object is moving in the opposite direction of the initial velocity, which is usually upwards.
The mass of an object does not affect its final velocity when falling off a cliff. According to the equation Vf = Vi + gt, mass is not a factor in determining final velocity. This means that objects with different masses will reach the ground at the same final velocity.
Yes, the height of the cliff does affect the final velocity of an object falling off it. The higher the cliff, the longer the object has to accelerate under the force of gravity, resulting in a higher final velocity. This can be seen in the equation Vf = Vi + gt, where t (time elapsed) increases with an increase in height.
Air resistance can impact the calculation of final velocity for an object falling off a cliff by slowing down the object's acceleration. In the absence of air resistance, the object would experience a constant acceleration due to gravity. However, with air resistance, the object will experience a decreasing acceleration as it falls. This means that the final velocity calculated using the equation Vf = Vi + gt may not be entirely accurate.