Question

A skydiver of mass 80.0 kg jumps from a slow-moving aircraft and reaches a terminal speed of 50.0 m/s. (a) What is her acceleration when her speed is 30.0 m/s

Answer 1

Answer:

6.22²

Explanation:

Given that

Mass of the skydiver, m = 80 kg

Terminal speed of the skydiver, v(f) = 50 m/s

Speed of the skydiver, v(i) = 30 m/s

Acceleration of the skydiver, a = ?

To solve this, we use the formula

W - k v² = ma, where

W = weight of the skydiver

k = constant

v = speed of the skydiver

m = mass of the skydiver

So, if we substitute the values into it we have

W = mg = 80 * 9.8 = 784 N

784 - k 50² = 80 *0

784 - 2500k = 0

784 = 2500k

k = 0.3136

Now, we use this value of k to find the needed acceleration using the same formula at a speed of 30 m/s

784 - 0.3136 * 30² = 80 * a

784 - 0.3136 * 900 = 80a

784 - 282.24 = 80a

497.76 = 80a

a = 497.76 / 80

a = 6.22 m/s²

Thus, we can conclude that the acceleration when the speed of the skydiver is 30 m/s, is 6.22 m/s²