Question

magine an astronaut on an extrasolar planet, standing on a sheer cliff 50.0 m high. She is so happy to be on a different planet, she throws a rock straight upward with an initial velocity of 20 m/s. If the astronaut were instead on Earth, and threw a ball in the same way while standing on a 50.0 m high cliff, what would be the time difference (in s) for the rock to hit the ground below the cliff in each case

Answer 1

Answer:

$\Delta t=(\frac{20}{g'}+\sqrt{\frac{400}{g'^2}+\frac{100}{g'} } )-(\frac{20}{g}+\sqrt{\frac{400}{g^2}+\frac{100}{g} } )$

Explanation:

Given:

height above which the rock is thrown up, $\Delta h=50\ m$

initial velocity of projection, $u=20\ m.s^{-1}$

let the gravity on the other planet be g'

The time taken by the rock to reach the top height on the exoplanet:

$v=u+g'.t'$

where:

$v=$ final velocity at the top height = 0 $m.s^{-1}$

$0=20-g'.t'$ (-ve sign to indicate that acceleration acts opposite to the velocity)

$t'=\frac{20}{g'}\ s$

The time taken by the rock to reach the top height on the earth:

$v=u+g.t$

$0=20-g.t$

$t=\frac{20}{g} \ s$

Height reached by the rock above the point of throwing on the exoplanet:

$v^2=u^2+2g'.h'$

where:

$v=$ final velocity at the top height = 0 $m.s^{-1}$

$0^2=20^2-2\times g'.h'$

$h'=\frac{200}{g'}\ m$

Height reached by the rock above the point of throwing on the earth:

$v^2=u^2+2g.h$

$0^2=20^2-2g.h$

$h=\frac{200}{g}\ m$

The time taken by the rock to fall from the highest point to the ground on the exoplanet:

$(50+h')=u.t_f'+\frac{1}{2} g'.t_f'^2$ (during falling it falls below the cliff)

here:

$u=$ initial velocity= 0 $m.s^{-1}$

$\frac{200}{g'}+50 =0+\frac{1}{2} g'.t_f'^2$

$t_f'^2=\frac{400}{g'^2}+\frac{100}{g'}$

$t_f'=\sqrt{\frac{400}{g'^2}+\frac{100}{g'} }$

Similarly on earth:

$t_f=\sqrt{\frac{400}{g^2}+\frac{100}{g} }$

Now the required time difference:

$\Delta t=(t'+t_f')-(t+t_f)$

$\Delta t=(\frac{20}{g'}+\sqrt{\frac{400}{g'^2}+\frac{100}{g'} } )-(\frac{20}{g}+\sqrt{\frac{400}{g^2}+\frac{100}{g} } )$