While standing on top of a 323 m tall building, you see Iron Man flying straight down toward the ground at a speed of 35.0 m/s. Just as he passes you, you drop a can of Dr Pepper off the roof. How fast is the can going when it passes Iron Man?

time to intercept:

323-35.0t = 323-4.9t^2
t = 7.14

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=323-35.0t+%3D+323-4.9t^2

Now, knowing that the can has speed

v = -9.8t

figure it out.

i need more help

what, you can't plug in t=7.14 into

-9.8t?

i did its giving me the wrong answer

well, if -69.972 is not right, then there may be an error in the answer key.

Did you try 69.972, since it just asks for speed, not velocity?

I can't see where I did anything wrong. Maybe someone else can spot a mistake.

To determine the speed of the can when it passes Iron Man, we need to consider the conservation of energy. Assuming no external forces, the total mechanical energy of the can-Iron Man system remains constant throughout their motion.

At the top of the building, the can has gravitational potential energy since it is at a height of 323 m. As it falls, this potential energy is converted into kinetic energy.

The equation for gravitational potential energy is:

PE = mgh

Where:
PE - Potential energy
m - Mass of the object (can)
g - Acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²)
h - Height of the object (323 m)

Next, we calculate the kinetic energy of the can when it passes Iron Man. The equation for kinetic energy is:

KE = (1/2)mv²

Where:
KE - Kinetic energy
m - Mass of the object (can)
v - Velocity of the object

Since the can was initially at rest, its initial kinetic energy was zero. Therefore, all of the potential energy is converted into kinetic energy:

PE = KE

mgh = (1/2)mv²

In this equation, the mass of the can cancels out, leaving us with:

gh = (1/2)v²

Simplifying, we have:

v² = 2gh

Plugging in the values:
g = 9.8 m/s²
h = 323 m

v² = 2 * 9.8 m/s² * 323 m

Calculating this expression, we find that v² = 6320.8 m²/s².

To determine the velocity (v) of the can when it passes Iron Man, we take the square root of v²:

v = √6320.8 m²/s² ≈ 79.5 m/s

Therefore, the can of Dr Pepper is traveling approximately 79.5 m/s when it passes Iron Man.