Finding height with constant acceleration

AI Thread Summary
The problem involves calculating the height of a cliff based on the time it takes for a boulder to fall the last third of the distance to the ground, specifically 1.3 seconds. The equations of motion under constant acceleration are applied, with air resistance ignored. The height is denoted as h, and the distance function y(t) is used to express the relationship between height and time. By substituting the time into the equations, the correct height can be determined, resulting in two potential answers: 246 m and 2.51 m. The solution confirms that both answers can be derived from the calculations.
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Homework Statement


What's the cliff's height (m) if a fallling boulder takes 1.3 s to fall the last 3rd of the way to the ground?
Air resistance is ignored, and the problem requires a quadratic formula.

Homework Equations


I think it's the constant x-acceleration formulas, which I can't type here because of the super subscripts/ subscripts.


The Attempt at a Solution


Actually, I don't even know how to begin this or set this up. =/ How do I solve this equation and determine which one of the given answers is correct? The answers in my textbook says it's either 246 m and 2.51 m, but how do I solve to get them?
 
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Call the cliff's height h. Let y(t) be the distance above the ground as a function of time.

y(t) = h - \frac{1}{2}gt^2

I'm assuming it starts from rest. Solving for t, the total time to fall is:

t = \sqrt{\frac{2h}{g}}

1.3 s before that elapsed time, the ball has fallen 2/3 of the way:

y\left(\sqrt{\frac{2h}{g}} - 1.3 s\right) = \frac{h}{3} = h - \frac{1}{2}g\left(\sqrt{\frac{2h}{g}} - 1.3 s\right)^2

Now I think you can just solve for h. Let me see if I get one of those answers.
 
edit: Yes, I do get both of those answers.
 
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