Question

Wrongly called for a foul, an angry basketball player throws the ball straight down to the floor. If the ball bounces straight up and returns to the floor 3.4 s after first striking it, what was the ball's greatest height above the floor?

Answer 1

Answer:

14.17545 m

Explanation:

t = Time taken

u = Initial velocity

v = Final velocity

s = Displacement

a = Acceleration due to gravity = 9.81 m/s²

The time the ball required to go up is half of the time the ball bounces straight up and returns to the floor. It is same for the ball going down.

$v=u+at\\\Rightarrow u=v-at\\\Rightarrow u=0-(-9.81)\times 1.7\\\Rightarrow u=16.677\ m/s$

$s=ut+\frac{1}{2}at^2\\\Rightarrow s=16.677\times 1.7+\frac{1}{2}\times -9.81\times 1.7^2\\\Rightarrow s=14.17545\ m$

Maximum height of the ball is 14.17545 m