Depth of a Water Well by dropping a rock

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SUMMARY

A man drops a rock into a well and hears the splash 3.2 seconds later, with the speed of sound in air at 338 m/s. To calculate the depth of the well, the total time is divided into two parts: the time it takes for the rock to fall (t1) and the time for the sound to travel back to the man (t2). The equations of motion and the relationship between distance, time, and speed are utilized to derive the depth. Ignoring sound travel time results in a different calculated depth, emphasizing the importance of accounting for both phases of the event.

PREREQUISITES
  • Basic understanding of kinematics and free fall motion
  • Knowledge of the speed of sound in air
  • Familiarity with the equation of motion: x = x0 + v0*t + (1/2)at^2
  • Ability to solve algebraic equations involving time and distance
NEXT STEPS
  • Calculate the time taken for the rock to hit the water using kinematic equations
  • Determine the depth of the well by solving the equation d = (1/2)gt1^2
  • Explore the effects of sound travel time on depth calculations in similar scenarios
  • Investigate the impact of drag force on falling objects in fluids
USEFUL FOR

Students studying physics, educators teaching kinematics, and anyone interested in solving real-world motion problems involving gravity and sound.

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Homework Statement



A man drops a rock into a well. He hears the sound of the splash 3.2 seconds after he releases the rock from rest. The speed of sound in air (at the local ambient condition) is 338 m/s

(a) How far below the top of the well is the surface of the water? (round your answer to a whole number)

(b) If you ignored the travel time for the sound, what would have been the calculated depth? (round your answer to a whole number)

time of rock + time of sound = 3.2s
acceleration = -9.8 m/s^2
V_i = 0 m/s
V_sound = 338 m/s

Homework Equations



x=x_0 + v_0*t + (1/2)at^2


The Attempt at a Solution



x = 0 + 0 + (1/2)(-9.8)(3.2)^2

However, I realized, this is incorrect because I also need to account the time the sound took to travel to the person's ear subtracted by the 3.2 seconds. My problem is, how do I find the time it took to reach the person's ear when the rock hit the surface of the water?
 
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Obviously, the rock takes time ##t_1## to hit the water, and the sound takes time ##t_2## to reach you. As you wrote, ##t_1 + t_2 = t = 3.2 \ \text{s}##.
 
You want to find the depth of the well, d. So, try to derive an equation that relates t and d.

For example, if d = 10m, it would be quite easy to work out t. So, try to use this approach to relate d and t generally.
 
Hi
There r also some different issues like drag force of water on shape of rock so how this is possible
 

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