Final answer:
To find the distance traveled by the car before it hits the ground, we calculate the time it takes to fall using the distance in free fall equation and then find the horizontal distance using the initial velocity. The total horizontal distance traveled is approximately 90 m.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how far the car will travel horizontally before hitting the ground after driving over a 120 m high cliff with a horizontal velocity of 18 m/s, we need to calculate the time it takes for the car to fall to the ground and then use this time to find the horizontal distance traveled.
First, let's find the time of the fall using the equation for the distance in free fall:
h = ½gt², where h is the vertical height (120 m), g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²), and t is the time in seconds. Rearranging the formula and solving for t, we get t = √(2h/g).
Plugging in the values,
t = √(2 * 120 m / 9.8 m/s²) ≈ 4.95 s.
Now that we have the time, we can calculate the horizontal distance traveled using the horizontal velocity:
x = vt, where x is the horizontal distance, v is the horizontal velocity (18 m/s), and t is the time of the fall.
So, x = 18 m/s * 4.95 s = 89.1 m.
The closest answer to our calculations is C) 90 m.