Question

How long would it take an object to reach the ground from the top of a building that is 470 feet tall? Round to the nearest tenth of a second.

Answer 1

Answer:

It would take the object 5.4 s to reach the ground.

Explanation:

Hi there!

The equation of the height of a free-falling object at any given time, neglecting air resistance, is the following:

h = h0 + v0 · t + 1/2 · g · t²

Where:

h = height of the object at time t.

h0 = initial height.

v0 = initial velocity.

g = acceleration due to gravity (-32.2 ft/s² considering the upward direction as positive).

t = time

Let´s supose that the object is dropped and not thrown so that v0 = 0. Then:

h = h0 + 1/2 · g · t²

We have to find the time at which h = 0:

0 = 470 ft - 1/2 · 32.2 ft/s² · t²

Solving for t:

-470 ft = -16.1 ft/s² · t²

-470 ft / -16.1 ft/s² = t²

t = 5.4 s