Question

The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world located in Dubai, standing at approximately 827.7 meters. If a penny were to be dropped from the top of this building, how long would it take to hit the ground (seconds) assuming that air resistance is minimal?

Answer 1

Using the physics formula for free fall and ignoring air resistance, a penny dropped from the top of the Burj Khalifa would take approximately 13 seconds to hit the ground.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate how long it would take for a penny to hit the ground if dropped from the top of the Burj Khalifa, we need to use the formula for the time of free fall, which is based on the equation of motion under constant acceleration due to gravity (ignoring air resistance for simplicity). The equation is t = √(2h/g), where t is the time in seconds, h is the height of the fall in meters, and g is the acceleration due to gravity, approximately 9.81 m/s2. Plugging the height of the Burj Khalifa, approximately 829.8 meters, into the equation, we would get:

t = √(2 * 829.8 m / 9.81 m/s2)

Calculating this gives a result of approximately 13 seconds.

It is important to note, however, that in real-life conditions, air resistance cannot be completely ignored, and it would have a significant effect on the actual time it takes for a penny to fall from such a height, likely making it take longer than the calculated time.