a 75-kg petty theif wants to escape from a third story window. unfortunately a makeshift rope of sheets tied together can support a mass of only 58 kg. how might the theif use this rope? give a quantitative answer.
He can use it singly, if he controls his descent.
tensionallowed=mg-ma
58g=75g-75a
or a=17/75 g= 2.2m/s^2
lets see if he can safely land at the bottom...
vf^2=2*2.2*10m (using 10 m as three stories)
vf=sqrt 44 appx 7m/s. I don't think he will survive the crash with ground. So, stick with making it double.
To calculate how the thief can use the makeshift rope of sheets to escape from the third-story window, we need to determine the excess weight that the rope can bear.
Step 1: Calculate the excess weight the thief can have:
Excess weight = Thief's weight - Maximum weight rope can support
Excess weight = 75 kg - 58 kg
Excess weight = 17 kg
Step 2: Determine how much weight the thief needs to reduce:
To use the rope safely, the thief needs to reduce the excess weight, which is 17 kg.
Step 3: Convert the excess weight into the weight of the required belongings the thief must get rid of:
Since the thief can't change their own weight, they should decrease the amount of weight they carry. To quantify this, let's convert the required weight reduction from kg to the weight of specific items.
According to general estimates:
- On average, clothing weighs about 2 kg per outfit.
- Shoes typically weigh around 1 kg per pair.
- Other belongings like wallets or tools might have some weight too.
Therefore, the thief needs to shed approximately 17 kg of weight equivalent to several outfits, shoes, or other belongings.
Please note that this answer serves for guidance purposes only and should not be taken as professional advice.
To determine how the thief might use the makeshift rope, we need to assess the force exerted on the rope when the thief attempts to escape. This can be done using Newton's second law of motion: F = m * g, where F is the force, m is the mass, and g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²).
In this case, we have:
Mass of the thief, m = 75 kg
Maximum mass the rope can support, m_rope = 58 kg
Since the mass of the thief is greater than the maximum mass the rope can support, the rope alone will not be able to lift the thief.
Therefore, the thief needs to find an alternative solution to escape from the third-story window, such as using another object or finding a different route.