Question

A watermelon is dropped from the top of a 80 m tall building. We want to find the velocity of the watermelon after it falls for 1.35 s. The watermelon has not yet hit the ground, Which kinematic formula would be most useful to solve for the target unknown?

Answer 1

The kinematic equation v = v0 + at is used to find the velocity of a watermelon dropped from a building after 1.35 seconds when the initial velocity is 0 m/s and the acceleration is 9.81 m/s^2 due to gravity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The kinematic equation that relates the final velocity (v), initial velocity (u), acceleration (a), and time (t) is: v=u+at

Given that the watermelon is dropped from rest (u=0) and the only force acting on it is due to gravity (a=9.81m/s ^2 approximately near the Earth's surface), we can use this kinematic equation to find the final velocity (v) after falling for a certain time (t).

So, with the given time (t=1.35s) and assuming free fall near the surface of the Earth (a=9.81m/s ^2), the equation becomes:

v=u+at

v=0+(9.81m/s ^2)×(1.35s)

v=13.259m/s

The velocity of the watermelon after falling for 1.35 seconds is approximately 13.259m/s.