A toy car runs off the edge of a table that is 1.357 m high. If the car lands 0.442 m from the base of the table,
(a) how long does it take for the car to fall?
s
(b) what is the horizontal velocity of the car?
m/s
To solve this problem, we can use the principles of kinematics. We will use two equations: one for vertical motion and one for horizontal motion.
(a) To find the time it takes for the car to fall, we can use the equation for vertical motion:
h = (1/2) * g * t^2
Where:
h = height of the table (1.357 m)
g = acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2)
t = time it takes to fall
Rearranging the equation, we get:
t = √(2 * h / g)
Plugging in the values, we have:
t = √(2 * 1.357 m / 9.8 m/s^2)
Calculating this, we find that t ≈ 0.518 s.
Therefore, it takes approximately 0.518 seconds for the car to fall.
(b) To find the horizontal velocity of the car, we can use the equation for horizontal motion:
v = d / t
Where:
v = horizontal velocity
d = horizontal distance traveled (0.442 m)
t = time it takes to fall (0.518 s, as found in part a)
Plugging in the values, we have:
v = 0.442 m / 0.518 s
Calculating this, we find that v ≈ 0.854 m/s.
Therefore, the horizontal velocity of the car is approximately 0.854 m/s.