Final answer:
To find the height of the railing when the camera hits the ground, we can calculate the time it takes for the camera to fall using kinematic equations and then determine how high the balloon has risen in that time, considering its vertical velocity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question pertains to the physics concept of projectile motion in a vertical direction and involves calculating the height of the railing of a hot air balloon when a camera, dropped from it, hits the ground. Given the constant upward speed of the hot air balloon, the velocity of the camera at impact can be determined using the equations of motion under constant acceleration (due to gravity).
The initial velocity of the camera when it is dropped will be the same as the velocity of the balloon, which is 12.0 m/s upward. To calculate the time it takes for the camera to hit the ground, we need to use the kinematic equation that relates distance, initial velocity, time, and acceleration. Once we have the time, we can multiply it by the balloon's ascent rate to find how much higher the balloon has risen during that time, thus giving us the height of the railing above the ground at the moment of impact.
Without the complete calculation, the general approach would be to use the kinematic equations: v = u + at and s = ut + 1/2at², where v is the final velocity, u is the initial velocity, a is the acceleration (in this case, the acceleration due to gravity, which is approximately 9.81 m/s²), t is the time, and s is the displacement.