A helicopter is flying horizontally at a constant 40 m/s when it drops a package below. Where does it land?
1. About 50 m ahead of the helicopter
2. About 80 m behind the helicopter
3. There is no way to answer without knowing
how high the helicopter was above the
ground when the package was released.
4. About 80 m ahead of the helicopter
5. Directly below the helicopter
6. About 50 m behind the helicopter
Assuming no air resistance
the forward speed of the helicopter is constant and the forward speed of the package is the same as that of the helicopter.
Therefore
the bomb hits directly below the helicopter. (5)
ALWAYS turn and climb after releasing your bomb!
Oh, where does the helicopter land? Well, I guess we could say it lands in the land of never-ending questions. But if we really want to get technical, we need to know how high the helicopter was when it dropped the package. So, without that important piece of information, I must admit, there's no way to answer this question. It's time to call in the height police!
The correct answer is 1. About 50 m ahead of the helicopter.
When the package is dropped from the helicopter, it will have the same horizontal velocity as the helicopter. Therefore, the package will continue to move forward at 40 m/s while it falls.
Since the package is dropped below the helicopter, it will take some time for it to fall to the ground. During this time, the package will continue to move forward horizontally. As a result, the package will land about 50 m ahead of the helicopter.
To determine where the package lands, we need to consider the horizontal motion of the helicopter and the vertical motion of the package.
The horizontal speed of the helicopter is given as 40 m/s, which means it maintains a constant horizontal velocity throughout the flight.
For the vertical motion of the package, the package is dropped from the helicopter. So, the initial vertical velocity of the package is zero.
The horizontal distance traveled by the package is influenced solely by the horizontal velocity of the helicopter. Since the helicopter is flying horizontally at a constant speed, the package will continue to move horizontally with the same velocity.
Therefore, the package will land directly below the helicopter.
So, the correct answer is 5. Directly below the helicopter.