Final answer:
The initial velocity of the piece of metal was 9.8 m/s. This was calculated using the kinematic equation for uniformly accelerated motion and given values of final velocity, acceleration due to gravity, and time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to determining the initial velocity of a falling piece of metal assuming constant acceleration due to gravity. Given that the final velocity is 107.8 m/s after falling for 10 seconds, we can use the kinematic equation for uniformly accelerated motion:
v = u + at
Where:
v is the final velocity (107.8 m/s),
u is the initial velocity (which we are trying to find),
a is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s2), and
t is the time the object has been falling (10 s).
Rearranging the equation for u, we get:
u = v - at
Substitute the known values:
u = 107.8 m/s - (9.8 m/s2 × 10 s)
Calculating the initial velocity:
u = 107.8 m/s - 98 m/s
u = 9.8 m/s
Therefore, the initial velocity of the piece of metal was 9.8 m/s.