Chapter 4, Problem 53A

On a distant planet a freely falling object has an acceleration of $20m/s^2$. What vertical distance will an object dropped from rest on this planet cover in 1.8 s?

To determine

The vertical distance covered by an object in $1.8\text{s}$ when it is dropped from rest on another planet.

Answer to Problem 53A

  $32.4\text{m}$

Explanation of Solution

Given:

The acceleration of a free-falling object on a distant planet, $a=20{\text{m/s}}^{\text{2}}$ .

Formula used:

The vertical distance covered in free fall in a time $t$ is given by,

  $d=\frac{1}{2}a{t}^2$

where, $a=$ acceleration of free fall

Calculation:

Using the above-mentioned formula and given values, the vertical distance covered in $1.8\text{s}$ will be,

  $\begin{array}{c}d=\frac{1}{2}a{t}^2\\ =\frac{1}{2}\left(20\right){\left(1.8\right)}^2\\ =32.4\text{m}\end{array}$

Conclusion:

Hence, the vertical distance covered in $1.8\text{}\text{s}$ is $32.4\text{m}$ .