Final answer:
In World War II, airmen who jumped without parachutes and survived had a relatively small deceleration. To calculate the deceleration, we use the kinematic equation of motion and plug in the given values. The deceleration is approximately -6.00 m/s^2.
Step-by-step explanation:
In World War II, airmen who jumped from flaming airplanes without parachutes were fortunate to survive due to the relatively small deceleration provided by tree branches and snow drifts on the ground. To calculate the deceleration, we use the kinematic equation of motion: vf^2 = vi^2 + 2ad. Rearranging the formula, we have d = (vf^2 - vi^2) / 2a, where vf is the final velocity (0 m/s), vi is the initial velocity (54 m/s), and d is the distance (3.0 m). Plugging in the values, we can solve for a, the deceleration.
Using the formula with the given values, (0^2 - 54^2) / (2 * a) = 3. Solving for a, we find that the deceleration is approximately -6.00 m/s^2. The negative sign indicates deceleration or slowing down.