Question

2. A bullet traveling at 8.0 x 10 2 m/s horizontally hits a target 180 m away. How far does thebullet fall before it hits the target?

Answer 1

First, use the following formula to determine the time the bull takes to reach the target:

`\begin{gathered} x=v_xt \\ t=(x)/(v_x) \end{gathered}`

where,

x: horizontal distance to the target = 180m

vx: horizontal component of the velocity = 8.0*10^2 m/s

Replace the previous values of the parameters into the expression for t:

`t=(180m)/(8.0\cdot10^2(m)/(s))=0.225s`

Next, use the previous time to calculate the vertical distance traveled by the bullet just before it hits the target, as follow:

`\begin{gathered} y=(1)/(2)gt^2 \\ y=(1)/(2)(9.8(m)/(s^2))(0.225s)^2\approx0.25m \end{gathered}`

Hence, the bullet fals approximately 0.25m before it hits the target.