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Calculate Acceleration: A ball is dropped from a cliff and reaches a speed of 29.4 m/s after 3.0 s. What is the ball's average acceleration?

A. 9.8 m/s
B. 6.0 m/s
C. 14.7 m/²
D. 3.0 m/s²

User ZMan
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The ball's average acceleration is calculated using the change in velocity over the change in time. With an initial velocity of 0 m/s and final velocity of 29.4 m/s over 3 seconds, the average acceleration is found to be 9.8 m/s².

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the ball's average acceleration, we use the formula:

Acceleration (a) = Δv / Δt

where:

  • Δv is the change in velocity (final velocity - initial velocity)
  • Δt is the change in time

Since the ball was dropped, the initial velocity (vi) is 0 m/s. After 3.0 seconds (t), the final velocity (vf) is 29.4 m/s. Plugging the values into the formula:

a = (29.4 m/s - 0 m/s) / 3.0 s

a = 29.4 m/s / 3.0 s

a = 9.8 m/s²

Therefore, the ball's average acceleration is 9.8 m/s², which corresponds to the acceleration due to gravity on Earth.

User Paba
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