Question

What must the diver's minimum speed be just as she leaves the top of the cliff so that she will miss the ledge at the bottom, which is 1.50 m wide and 9.50 m below the top of the cliff?

Answer 1

Answer:

1.08 m/s

Explanation:

This can be solved with two steps, first we need to find the time taken to fall 9.5 m, then we can divide the horizontal distance covered with time taken to calculate the velocity.

Time taken to fall 9.5 m

vertical acceleration = a = 9.8 m/s^2.

vertical velocity = 0, (since there is only horizontal component for velocity, )

distance traveled  s = 9.5 m.

Substituting these values in the equation

$s= u \timest+0.5at^{2}$

$t= \sqrt{\frac{2s}{g} }$

$t=\sqrt{\frac{2\times9.5}{9.8} }$

⇒ t= 1.392 sec

Velocity needed

We know the time taken (1.392 s) to travel 1.5 m,

So velocity = 1.5 m / 1.392 s = 1.08 m/s

hence velocity of the diver must be at least 1.08 m/s