Question

A ball is dropped from a height of 10 feet and returns to a height that is one-half of the height from which it fell. The ball continues to bounce half the height of the previous bounce each time. How far will the ball have traveled vertically when it hits the ground for the fourth time? It might be helpful to sketch the path of the ball.

Answer 1

1st drop- 10ft comes back up 5ft
2nd drop-5ft comes back up 2.5ft
3rd drop-2.5ft comes back up 1.25 ft
4th drop-1.25ft comes back up .625ft

(10+5) + (5+2.5) + (2.5+1.25) + (1.25) = 27.5ft