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Chapter 2 Examples

Problem 2.46
An egg is thrown vertically upward from a point near the
cornice of a tall building. It just misses the cornice
on the way down and passes a point 50 m below its
starting point 5.0 s after it leaves the throwers hand.
Ignore air resistance.
a. What is the initial speed of the egg?
b. How high does it rise above its starting point?
c. What is the magnitude of its velocity at its highest
point?
d. What are the magnitude and direction of its
acceleration at the highest point?
Step 1: Draw it

h, height above building

50 m in 5 s
Make some definitions
Let t=5 s
Let vo= initial v(t ) at vo
velocity, in positive
direction 1 2
Let g=9.8 m/s2 ,
y (t ) at vot yo
2
acceleration due to
gravity, in negative
v 2f v02 2a ( y f yo )
direction.
total distance =-50 m
Apply Definitions and Solve
Let t=5 s 1 2
Let vo= initial velocity, in y (t ) at vot yo
2
positive direction
1 2
Let g=9.8 m/s2 , y (t ) yo at vot
acceleration due to 2
gravity, in negative 1
direction. This will be 50 g (5) 2 vo (5)
a 142 2 43
122.5
total distance =-50 m
72.5 5v0
=y(t)-yo
14.5 m / s v0
Part B) Find height above bldg

v0=14.5 m/s
At top of the
v(t ) at vo
arc, vf=0
1 2
At t=0, let y0=0 y (t ) at vot yo
2

v 2f v02 2a ( y f yo )
Part B) Find height above bldg
v0=14.5 m/s v 2f v02 2a( y f yo )
At top of the arc, vf=0
At t=0, let y0=0 v 2f v02 2 g (h 0)
Let yf=h 0 14.5
2

h
2 g
10.7 m h
Parts C) and D)

Atthe top of the arc, v=0 m/s


Always in this problem a=-g=-9.8 m/s 2
Problem 2.61

A car 3.5 m in length and traveling at a constant


speed of 20 m/s is approaching an intersection
which is 20 m wide. The light turns yellow
when the front of the car is 50 m from the
beginning of the intersection. If the driver
steps on the brake, the car will slow at -3.8
m/s2. If the driver steps on the gas pedal, the
car will accelerate at 2.3 m/s2. The light will be
yellow for 3 seconds. Ignore reaction time. To
avoid being in the intersection when the light
changes to red, accelerate or brake?
Step 1: Draw It!

3.5 m In order for the car to


run the green light,
50 m It must traverse
3.5+50+20 m=73.5 m
so that no part of the
car is in the
intersection

Braking is easier, it
must traverse less
than 50 m
20 m
Our Options

We know that
t=3 s v(t ) at vo
a is either 2.3
m/s2 or -3.8 1 2
x(t ) at vot xo
m/s2 2
vo=20 m/s

Totaldistance is v 2f v02 2a ( x f xo )
either 73.5 m or
50 m
Our Options
1 2
x(t ) at vot xo
We know that 2
t=3 s
a is either 2.3 m/s2 or -3.8 m/s2
vo=20 m/s
Total distance is either >73.5 m or <50 m

Braking
Run It !
1 2 1 2
x(t ) at vot x(t ) at vot xo
2 2
1 1
x(t ) xo (3.8) 32 20
3 x(t ) xo (2.3) 32 20
3
2 2
x(t ) xo 42.9 m x(t ) xo 70.4 m
Problem 2.77

A physics student with too much free time


drops a water melon from the roof of a
building. He hears the sound of the
watermelon going splat 2.5 s later.
How high is the building? The speed of
sound is 340 m/s and ignore air
resistance.
Step 1: Draw It!

Splat!
Some Hard Thinkin

The melon experiences an acceleration


due to gravity. The student merely
dropped it, so its initial velocity was 0.
The sound wave is unaffected by gravity
so it moves with constant velocity from
the ground toward the student.
These are two separate events with a
total time of 2.5 s
Some Hard Thinkin part 2

The equation for the distance that the


melon traverses is y=-1/2*g*(t1)2 where
y= height of bldg and t1 is the time for the
fall.
The equation of distance for the sound
wave is y=vs*t2 where vs = speed of
sound =340 m/s
The total time for all this to transpire is
2.5 s or 2.5 s =t1+t2
Solving
1
y gt12 y 4.9t12
2
y 340t2
2.5 t1 t2 t2 2.5 t1
y 340* 2.5 t1 850 340t1
4.9t12 850 340t1 or 4.9t12 340t1 850 0
b b 2 4ac 340 3402 4 4.9 ( 850)

t1
2a 2 4.9
t1 2.416 or 2.42 s
y 4.9* 2.422 28.6 m
or
t2 2.5 2.416 0.084
y 340*0.084 28.6 m
Problem 2.89
A painter is standing on scaffolding that is raised at a
constant speed. As he travels upward, he
accidentally nudges a paint can off the scaffolding
and it falls 15 m to the ground. You are watching and
measure with your stopwatch that it takes 3.25 s for
the can to reach the ground.
a. What is the speed of the can just before it hits the
ground?
b. Another painter is standing on a ledge with his hands
4 m above the can when it falls. He has lightning-
fast reflexes and can catch if at all possible. Does he
get a chance?
Part a) Make some definitions
Let t=3.25 s
Let vo= initial v(t ) at vo
velocity, in positive
direction 1 2
Let g=9.8 m/s2 ,
y (t ) at vot yo
2
acceleration due to
gravity, in negative
v 2f v02 2a ( y f yo )
direction.
total distance =-15 m
Make some definitions
Wemust solve this
equation for vo v(t ) at vo
And then we must
1 2
use this equation to y (t ) at vot yo
solve for the 2
velocity
v 2f v02 2a ( y f yo )
Solving
1 2
y (t ) at vot yo
2
y (t ) yo 15
1
15 g (3.25) 2 vo 3.25
2
36.75 vo 3.25
11.31 m / s vo
v(t ) at vo
v(t ) g *3.25 11.31
v(t ) 20.5 m
Part B) Make some definitions
The word falls is slightly
misleading, the can first rises
in the air and then falls to the
ground.
v(t ) at vo
What it is asking for is how
high the can flies above the
release point; it must be 1 2
greater than 4 m y (t ) at vot yo
So we are solving for a total 2
y displacement (yf-yo)
At the top of the arc, vf=0
Let vo= initial velocity, in
positive direction, 11.31 m/s
v 2f v02 2a ( y f yo )
Let g=9.8 m/s2 , acceleration
due to gravity, in negative
direction.
Part B) Make some definitions
What it is asking for is how
high the can flies above the v 2f v02 2a ( y f yo )
release point; it must be
greater than 4 m
So we are solving for a total
y displacement (yf-yo) 0 11.312 2 g ( y f yo )
At the top of the arc, vf=0
11.312
Let vo= initial velocity, in ( y f yo )
positive direction, 11.31 m/s 2 g
Let g=9.8 m/s2 , acceleration 6.52 m ( y f yo )
due to gravity, in negative
direction.
Yes, he can
catch it

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