Question

A 500 g watermelon is dropped out of a window. What impulse will the force of gravity acting on it for 3.0 s give the watermelon?

Answer 1

The impulse I transferred by a force F to an object depends on the amount of time t during which the force acts on the object and is given by the equation:

`I=F\cdot t`

On the other hand, the force of gravity on an object with mass m is given by:

`F=mg`

Where g is the gravitational acceleration:

`g=9.81(m)/(s^2)`

First, replace m=0.500kg and the value of g to find the force of gravity that acts on the watermelon:

`F=(0.500kg)(9.81(m)/(s^2))=4.905N`

Next, replace F=4.905N and t=3.0s to find the impulse that the force gives to the watermelon in 3 seconds:

`I=4.905N\cdot3.0s=14.715Ns\approx14.7Ns`

Therefore, the force of gravity acting on the watermelon for 3.0s gives it an impulse of 14.7 Ns.