Question

A shell is fired with a horizontal velocity in the positive x direction from the top of an 80m high cliff. The shell strikes the ground 1330 m from the base of the cliff. What is the acceleration of the shell just before it strikes the ground?

A) 4.0 m/s^2
B) 9.8 m/s^2
C) 82 m/s^2
D) 170 m/s^2
E) 330 m/s^2

Answer 1

To find the acceleration of the shell just before it strikes the ground, use the equations of motion and the given values. Set the vertical displacement as the height of the cliff and the initial vertical velocity as zero. Using the equation s = ut + (1/2)at^2, rearrange it to solve for acceleration and plug in the values to find the answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the acceleration of the shell just before it strikes the ground, we can use the equations of motion. Since the shell is fired horizontally, its initial vertical velocity is zero. The vertical displacement is the height of the cliff, which is 80m. We can use the equation s = ut + (1/2)at^2, where s is the displacement, u is the initial velocity, a is the acceleration, and t is the time.

We can rearrange the equation to solve for acceleration: a = (2s) / t^2. Plugging in the values, we get a = (2 * 80) / (1330/18.1)^2. Evaluating this expression will give us the acceleration of the shell just before it strikes the ground.