The U.S army's parachuting team, the Golden Knights, are on a routine jumping mission over a deserted beach. On a jump, a 65 kg Knight lands on the beach with a speed of 4.0 m/s, making a .20 m deep indentation in the sand. With what average force did the parachuter hit the sand?
2600
Vf^2=Vi^2+2ad but a= F/mass
solve for force.
To calculate the average force with which the parachuter hits the sand, we can use the formula for force:
Force = mass × acceleration
First, we need to find the acceleration experienced by the parachuter when they hit the sand. We can use the equation for calculating acceleration using initial speed, final speed, and distance:
(vf² - vi²) = 2 × a × d
In this case, the initial speed (vi) is 4.0 m/s, the final speed (vf) is 0 m/s (as the parachuter comes to rest), and the distance (d) is 0.20 m. Let's calculate the acceleration:
(0 - 4.0²) = 2 × a × 0.20
16.0 = 0.4a
a = 16.0 / 0.4
a = 40.0 m/s²
Now that we have the acceleration, we can calculate the force using the mass of the parachuter, which is given as 65 kg:
Force = mass × acceleration
= 65 kg × 40.0 m/s²
= 2600 N
Therefore, the average force with which the parachuter hit the sand is 2600 Newtons.