Tom the cat is chasing Jerry the mouse across the surface of a table 1.1 m above the floor. Jerry steps out of the way at the last second, and Tom slides off the edge of the table at a speed of 6.4 m/s. Where will Tom strike the floor?
A)3.03m from the table that is correct.
What velocity components will he have just before he hits? (Use a coordinate system in which up is positive.)
B)x direction: 6.63m/s which isn't correct.
C)y direction:-4.64m/s which is correct.
Can you help me out with the part B?
Tom's velocity component in the x direction will not change. It will remain 6.4 m/s.
I am surprised you got the right answer for A) with the wrong value for Vx
To solve part B, we need to find the velocity components of Tom just before he hits the floor.
Let's assume the positive x-direction is towards the table and the positive y-direction is upwards.
We are given that Tom slides off the edge of the table at a speed of 6.4 m/s. Since there are no external horizontal forces acting on Tom, his horizontal velocity will remain constant.
Therefore, just before he hits the floor, Tom's x-direction velocity component will be the same as his initial horizontal velocity, which is 6.4 m/s. So, the correct answer for part B is 6.63 m/s, which is option B.
I apologize for the confusion in the options. Option B is correct for the x-direction velocity component of Tom just before he hits the floor.