Question

At a diving competition, divers jump off a 64 foot high cliff. Solve for how long it will take the diver to hit the water. Show your work and explain the steps you used to solve.

Answer 1

In order to answer this item without any other given, we have to assume that the diver is in a free-fall motion. The relationship between the time and the distance can be determined through the equation,

d = Vot + 0.5gt²

Vo is the initial velocity (which is equal to zero for free-fall), g is the acceleration due to gravity and t is time.

Convert the given height in meters for consistency of the units.
d = (64 foot)(1 m/ 3.28 ft) = 19.51 m

Substituting the known values,
19.51 = 0.5(9.8)(t²)

Divide both sides of the equation by 0.5(9.8)
t² = 19.51/(0.5)(9.8) = 3.98

Then, get the square-root of both sides. This operation gives us 1.9955 seconds or equal to 2 seconds.