Finding the distance a plant falls

[mathforkicks]

A freefall problem

A flowerpot falls off a windowsill and falls past the window below. You may ignore air resistance. It takes the pot .420 s to pass this window, which is 1.90 m high. How far is the top of the window below the windowsill from which the flowerpot fell?

 

[rickz02]

Show us first your initial solution...

 

[mathforkicks]

.31 m

 

[gneill]

.31 m

That looks good.

 

[rwisz]

I would approach this problem by first identifying the known variables and utilizing the principles of freefall motion. In this case, we know the time it takes for the flowerpot to pass the window (0.420 s) and the height of the window (1.90 m). Using the equation d = 1/2 * g * t^2, where d is the distance, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2), and t is the time, we can solve for the distance the flowerpot fell.

Plugging in the known values, we get:

d = 1/2 * (9.8 m/s^2) * (0.420 s)^2
d = 1.6452 m

Therefore, the distance the flowerpot fell is 1.6452 m. In order to find the distance from the top of the window to the windowsill, we can subtract the height of the window (1.90 m) from the distance the flowerpot fell.

Distance from top of window to windowsill = 1.6452 m - 1.90 m = -0.2548 m

This means that the top of the window is 0.2548 m below the windowsill from which the flowerpot fell. It is important to note that the negative sign indicates that the top of the window is below the windowsill.

In conclusion, by utilizing the principles of freefall motion, we can determine the distance a plant falls and the distance from the top of the window to the windowsill. This information can be useful in understanding the impact of freefall on plants and other objects.