Question

A ripe pear falls from a tree and lands on the ground. As it hit the ground, the pear had a speed of 28 feet per second. Approximately how far up in the tree was the pear before it fell? Use the formula below, and assume that the acceleration due to gravity is 32 feet per second squared:

Answer 1

The potential energy is converted into kinetic energy.

 Therefore, for conservation of energy we have:

 mgh = (1/2) m * v ^ 2

 From here we clear the speed:

 v = root (2 * g * h)

 The height will then be:

 h = v ^ 2 / (2 * g)

 Substituting the values:

 h = (34) ^ 2 / (2 * (32))

 h = 18.0625 feet

 Answer: The pear before it fell was 18.0625 feet up in the tree.

Answer 2

s is the speed, 28 g is 32 You have to make the substitutions in the equation they gave and solve for h.