Question

A cat chases a mouse across a 1.2 m high table. The mouse steps out of the way, and the cat slides off the table and strikes the floor 1.3 m from the edge of the table.

Answer 1

The cat has two directions of motions:
The horizontal motion = Dx = 2.2 m
The vertical motion = Dy = -1.3 m (negative sign indicates that the cat is falling)
a = 9.8 m/sec^2
Vy = zero (since you are not moving up)

From the laws of motion:
Dy = Vyt + 0.5ayt^2
-1.3 = 0(t) + 0.5(-9.8)t^2
t = 0.52s

Then, again using the laws of motion (but for the horizontal direction this time)
Dx = Vxt
2.2 = Vx0.52
Vx = 2.2/0.52
= 4.23 m/s

Therefore the cat's speed when it slid off the table is 4.23 m/s horizontally.