Final answer:
It took approximately 3.32 seconds for the car to hit the ground.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine the amount of time it took for the car to hit the ground, we can use the equation for vertical motion:
d = v0t + (1/2)gt2
where:
d is the vertical distance (54 m)
v0 is the initial vertical velocity (0 m/s since the car starts at rest vertically)
g is the acceleration due to gravity (-9.8 m/s2)
t is the time it takes for the car to hit the ground (unknown)
Substituting the given values into the equation:
54 = 0(t) + (1/2)(-9.8)(t2)
Expanding and simplifying:
54 = -4.9t2
Diving both sides by -4.9:
t2 = -54/-4.9
t2 = 11.0204
Taking the square root of both sides:
t ≈ 3.32 s
Therefore, it took approximately 3.32 seconds for the car to hit the ground.