Question

The Tambora volcano on the island of Sumbawa, Indonesia has been known to throw ash into the air with a speed of 625 m/s during an eruption. How high could this volcanic plume have risen?

Answer 1

The Tambora volcanic plume could have reached a maximum height of approximately 19845 meters, which is around 19.8 kilometers or 12.3 miles, when ash was thrown at a speed of 625 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

You're asking how high the Tambora volcano plume could have risen if it ejected ash at a speed of 625 m/s. This is a physics problem that involves the concepts of projectile motion and energy. To determine the maximum height reached by the volcanic plume, we need to use the equation for the motion of an object under the force of gravity alone, without taking air resistance into consideration. The equation is h = v²/(2g), where h is the height, v is the initial velocity (625 m/s in this case), and g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.81 m/s²).

Using these values, the maximum height h can be calculated as:

h = (625 m/s)² / (2 * 9.81 m/s²) = 19845.05 meters

Therefore, the volcanic plume could have potentially risen to approximately 19845 meters (which is roughly 19.8 kilometers or about 12.3 miles) above sea level.