Question

A cat knocks a potted plant out of a window sill. The pot is knocked horizontally

at 4.2 m/s. If the window was 12 m above the ground, what was the range of the
potted plant?

Answer 1

The range of the potted plant is 6.55 meters.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the range of the potted plant, we can use the equation for horizontal motion:

Range = Velocity x Time

Given that the cat knocks the plant horizontally at a velocity of 4.2 m/s, and the window is 12 m above the ground, we can use the equation:

Range = 4.2 m/s x Time

To find the time taken for the plant to reach the ground, we can use the equation for vertical motion:

Vertical distance = Initial velocity x Time + (0.5) x Acceleration x Time^2

In this case, the initial vertical velocity is 0 m/s, the vertical distance is 12 m, and the acceleration is -9.8 m/s^2 (due to gravity pulling the plant towards the ground).

By substituting the values into the equation, we can solve for the time taken:

12 m = 0 m/s x Time + (0.5) x (-9.8 m/s^2) x Time^2

12 m = -4.9 m/s^2 x Time^2

Time^2 = 2.45 s

Time = sqrt(2.45) s

Time = 1.56 s

Now that we know the time, we can calculate the range:

Range = 4.2 m/s x 1.56 s

Range = 6.55 m