Question

An angry mob lynches a physics teacher after receiving their grades. They throw the physics teacher off a tall building. They throw the physics teacher straight down with a velocity of 10 m/s. The teacher falls for 3.6 seconds before landing on a stack of empty cardboard boxes. How high was he thrown from?

a) 51.6 m
b) 73.08 m
c) 128.52 m
d) 183.6 m

Answer 1

The physics teacher was thrown from a height of approximately 99.504 meters from a building, calculated using the kinematic equation for constant acceleration due to gravity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks how high the physics teacher was thrown from a building if they were initially thrown downward with a velocity of 10 m/s and landed after falling for 3.6 seconds. To solve this problem, we can use the kinematic equation for objects under constant acceleration, which is appropriate since gravity is a constant acceleration.

The kinematic equation that applies here is

s = ut + ½at²
where:

• s is the displacement (height in this case)
• u is the initial velocity
• a is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²)
• t is the time of fall

Inputting the values, we have:

s = (10 m/s)(3.6 s) + ½(9.8 m/s²)(3.6 s)²

s = 36 m + ½(9.8 m/s²)(12.96 s²)

s = 36 m + 63.504 m

s = 99.504 m

Therefore, the height from which the teacher was thrown is approximately 99.504 meters.