Question

In a bizarre but harmless accident, a watermelon fell from the top of the Eiffel Tower. How fast was the watermelon traveling when it hit the ground 6.40 seconds after falling?

Answer 1

v = 62.7 m/s

Step-by-step explanation:

• Assuming no air resistance, the only force acting on the watermelon while it was falling, was the one due to the gravity.
• This means that the object fell down with a constant acceleration which magnitude is equal to 9.8 m/s2.
• Applying the definition of acceleration, and assuming that the watermelon was dropped, so initial velocity is just zero, we can find the speed when it hit the ground as follows:

`v_(f) = a*t = -g*t = -9.8 m/s2*6.4 m/s = -62.7 m/s (1)`

• The watermelon was traveling at a speed of 62.7 m/s when it hit the ground.