What was the total time of fall?

  • Thread starter Thread starter keweezz
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Fall Time
Join the discussion
Registration is free. Ask a follow-up in this thread, or start your own.
2 replies · 2K views
keweezz
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
A ball, dropped from rest, covers three-sevenths of the distance to the ground in the last two seconds of its fall.

(a) From what height was the ball dropped?
_m
(b) What was the total time of fall?
_s

For a, don't i need the final velocity to solve the problem? Vi=o A=-9.81?
2 days ago - 1 day left to answer.
 
Physics news on Phys.org


keweezz said:
A ball, dropped from rest, covers three-sevenths of the distance to the ground in the last two seconds of its fall.

(a) From what height was the ball dropped?
_m
(b) What was the total time of fall?
_s

For a, don't i need the final velocity to solve the problem? Vi=o A=-9.81?
2 days ago - 1 day left to answer.
No, you don't need the final velocity (although you can calculate it after you have solved b). I presume you know that the height of the ball after t seconds is s= h- (1/2)At2= h- 4.905t2. It will hit the ground when s= h- 4.905t2= 0 so the time it hits the ground, T, is [itex]T= \sqrt{h/4.905}[/itex].
the ball "covers three-sevenths of the distance to the ground in the last two seconds of its fall." which tells us that [itex]s(T- 2)= h- 4.905(\sqrt{h/4.905}- 2)^2= (3/7) h[/itex].
Solve that equation for h.
 


HallsofIvy said:
No, you don't need the final velocity (although you can calculate it after you have solved b). I presume you know that the height of the ball after t seconds is s= h- (1/2)At2= h- 4.905t2. It will hit the ground when s= h- 4.905t2= 0 so the time it hits the ground, T, is [itex]T= \sqrt{h/4.905}[/itex].
the ball "covers three-sevenths of the distance to the ground in the last two seconds of its fall." which tells us that [itex]s(T- 2)= h- 4.905(\sqrt{h/4.905}- 2)^2= (3/7) h[/itex].
Solve that equation for h.



[itex]s(T- 2)= h- 4.905(\sqrt{h/4.905}- 2)^2= (3/7) h[/itex]. For that part, i just do [itex]h- 4.905(\sqrt{h/4.905}- 2)^2= (3/7) h[/itex] that and solve for h?

i got 45.78 for h, but it didn't work out ;(
 
Last edited: