Question

Suppose you are an astronaut and you have been stationed on a distant planet. You would like to find the acceleration due to the gravitational force on this planet so you devise an experiment. You throw a rock up in the air with an initial velocity of 9 m/s and use a stopwatch to record the time it takes to hit the ground. If it takes 6.4 s for the rock to return to the same location from which it was released, what is the acceleration due to gravity on the planet?

Answer 1

1.40625m/s²

Step-by-step explanation:

Using the equation of motion expressed as v = u+gt where;

v is the final velocity of the ball

u is the initial velocity

g is the acceleration due to gravity

t is the time taken

Given

u = 9m/s

v = 0m/s

t = 6.4s

Required

acceleration due to gravity g

Since the rock is thrown up, g will be a negative value.

v = u+(-g)t

0 = 9-6.4g

-9 = -6.4g

6.4g = 9

divide both sides by 6.4

6.4g/6.4 = 9/6.4

g = 1.40625m/s²

Hence the acceleration due to gravity on the planet is 1.40625m/s²