If the pelican was traveling at the same speed
but was only 2.3 m above the water, how
far would the fish travel horizontally before
hitting the water below?
Answer in units of m
To calculate the horizontal distance the fish would travel before hitting the water, we need to find the time it takes for the fish to hit the water and then multiply it by the horizontal speed of the fish.
First, let's find the time it takes for the fish to hit the water. We can use the equation of motion:
h = ut + 0.5 * a * t^2
Where:
h = vertical displacement (which is 2.3 m),
u = initial vertical velocity of the fish (which is 0 m/s since it's not being thrown vertically),
a = acceleration due to gravity (which is approximately 9.8 m/s^2),
t = time taken.
Rearranging the equation, we get:
t = sqrt(2h / a)
Substituting the values we have into the equation:
t = sqrt(2 * 2.3 m / 9.8 m/s^2) ≈ 0.674 s
Now that we have the time t, we can find the horizontal distance traveled by the fish using the equation:
distance = horizontal velocity * time
We know the pelican and the fish are traveling at the same speed, so we'll use the horizontal velocity of the pelican for the fish as well. However, we need to know the speed of the pelican to get the answer in meters.
Please provide the speed of the pelican, and I'll help you calculate the distance traveled by the fish horizontally before hitting the water.