Final answer:
The book will take approximately 1.77 seconds to hit the ground.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate how long it will take for the book to hit the ground, we can use the equation for free fall.
The formula for calculating the time taken for an object to fall freely from height h is:
t = sqrt((2h)/g)
Where t is the time in seconds, h is the height in meters, and g is the acceleration due to gravity, which is approximately 9.8 m/s^2.
In this scenario, the height is 40 feet, which is approximately 12.192 meters. Plugging the values into the formula:
t = sqrt((2 * 12.192) / 9.8) ≈ 1.77 seconds
So it will take approximately 1.77 seconds for the book to hit the ground.