Question

Converting between compound unitsA parachutist's speed during a free fall reaches 198 feet per second. What is this speed in meters per second? At this speed, how many meters will theparachutist fall during 5 seconds of free fall? In your computations, assume that 1 meter is equal to 3.3 feet. Do not round your answers.

Answer 1

Parachutist speed: 198 feet per second

We need to convert this speed to meters per second. We know that the conversion between feet and meters is:

`1\text{ foot }\to(10)/(33)\text{ meters}`

Then, the speed is:

`198ft/s=198\cdot(10)/(33)m/s=60\text{ m/s}`

The distance traveled and the speed are related by:

`d=v\cdot t`

Where d is the distance, v is the speed and t is the time. Now, if t = 5 seconds, and knowing the speed of the parachutist, the distance is:

`d=60\cdot5=300\text{ m}`