Question

An acorn falls from rest from the top of a 19m tall oak tree. How long does it take for the acorn to fall to the ground? How fast is the acorn going before it hits the ground?

Answer 1

We can solve this problem using the kinematic equation:

y = 1/2 * g * t^2

where y is the height of the tree, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2), and t is the time taken to fall to the ground.

We can solve for t using:

t = sqrt(2y/g)

Plugging in the values, we get:

t = sqrt(2(19)/9.8)

t = 2.19 seconds

So, it takes 2.19 seconds for the acorn to fall from the tree to the ground.

To find the velocity of the acorn just before it hits the ground, we can use:

v = g * t

Plugging in the values, we get:

v = 9.8 * 2.19

v = 21.46 m/s

So, the acorn is going approximately 21.46 m/s just before it hits the ground.

Step-by-step explanation: