Question

A cat chases a mouse across

a 1.1 m high table. The mouse steps out of the way, and the cat slides off the table and strikes the floor
2.4 m from the edge of the table.
The acceleration of gravity is 9.81 m/s^2 .
What was the cat's speed when it slid off the table?
Answer in units of m/s.

Answer 1

• Speed = 5.07m/s

Given :

• Height of the table : 1.1m
• Distance : 2.4m

To find :

• Speed of the cat when it slid off

Solution :

We know that,

• 
  `h = (1)/(2) * g * t {}^(2)`
• 
  `1.1m = (1)/(2) * 9.81m/s {}^(2) * t {}^(2) \\`
• 
  `t = \sqrt{ \frac{1.1m * 2}{9.81m/s {}^(2) } } \\`
• 
  `t = 0.4736 \: s`

hence,time taken by the cat to slid off the table was 0.4736 seconds.

Now,

In order to find the speed, we'll use the relationship between time , distance and speed.

• 
  `Distance = Time * Speed`
• 
  `2.4m = \: 0.4736 \: s * Speed`
• 
  `Speed = (2.4m)/(0.4736s) \\`
• 
  `Speed = 5.07m/s`

Therefore, the speed of the cat when it slid off the table was 5.07m/s.