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Angel falls in southeastern venezuela is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world, dropping 979 m (3212 ft). Assume that it takes 14 s for the water to fall from the lip of the falls to the river below. If the water lands 42 m from the base of the vertical cliff, what was its horizontal speed at the top?

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Final answer:

The horizontal speed of the water at the top of Angel Falls is calculated by dividing the horizontal distance by the time it takes to fall, resulting in a speed of 3 meters per second.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question pertains to the calculation of horizontal velocity of the water at the top of Angel Falls, the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world, based on given horizontal displacement and time of fall. To find the horizontal speed, we must consider that the horizontal velocity is constant, as only vertical motion is affected by gravity. Since the question specifies that the water lands 42 meters from the base after 14 seconds, we can calculate the horizontal speed using simple division.

Horizontal Speed (v) = Horizontal Distance (d) / Time (t).

So, v = 42 m / 14 s = 3 m/s.

The horizontal speed of the water at the top of Angel Falls is therefore 3 meters per second.

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