Question

An action movie scene features a car driving off a horizontal cliff with a speed of 30.0 m/s and landing in the water 50.0 meters below the cliff. What is the time it takes for the car to reach the water?

a) 2.04 seconds
b) 3.06 seconds
c) 4.08 seconds
d) 5.10 seconds

Answer 1

The car takes approximately 3.06 seconds to reach the water.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the time it takes for the car to reach the water, we can use the equation s = ut + 1/2at^2, where s is the vertical displacement, u is the initial velocity, a is the acceleration due to gravity, and t is the time. In this case, the initial velocity is 30.0 m/s, the vertical displacement is 50.0 meters, and the acceleration due to gravity is -9.8 m/s^2 (negative because it acts in the opposite direction of the car's motion). We can rearrange the equation to solve for t: t = sqrt(2s/a). Plugging in the values, we get t ≈ 3.06 seconds. Therefore, the car takes approximately 3.06 seconds to reach the water, so the answer is option b) 3.06 seconds.