The distance of the rock from the base of the cliff is C) 20 m
Explanation:
The motion of the rock in this problem is a projectile motion, which consists of two independent motions:
- A uniform motion (constant velocity) along the horizontal direction
- An accelerated motion with constant acceleration (acceleration of gravity) in the vertical direction
We start by analyzing the vertical motion to find the time of flight of the rock (the time it takes to reach the ground). We can do it by using the suvat equation:
where, taking downward as positive direction,
s = 20 m is the vertical displacement of the rock
is the initial vertical velocity
t is the time of flight
is the acceleration of gravity
Solving for t,
Now we can analzye the horizontal motion: the rock moves horizontally with a constant velocity of
Therefore, the horizontal distance covered after a time t is
and substituting t = 2.02 s, we find the final distance of the rock from the base of the cliff:
Learn more about projectile motion:
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