Concept explainers
At 220 m, the bungee jump at the Verzasca Dam in Locarno, Switzerland, is one of the highest jumps on record. The length of the elastic cord, which can be modeled as having negligible mass and obeying Hooke’s law, has to be precisely tailored to each jumper because the margin of error at the bottom of the dam is less than 10.0 m. Kristin prepares for her jump by first hanging at rest from a 10.0-m length of the cord and is observed to stretch the rope to a total length of 12.5 m. a. What length of cord should Kristin use for her jump to be exactly 220 m? b. What is the maximum acceleration she will experience during her jump?
(a)
The length of the cord required to jump exactly
Answer to Problem 75PQ
The length of the cord required to jump exactly
Explanation of Solution
Given that the length of the test cord is
Apply Hooke’s law to the rope. The stress on the rope is directly proportional to the strain.
Here,
The weight of the person acts as the stress and the strain in the stretching length of the rope. Thus, equation (I) can be modified and solved for
Here,
Since the stretch distance is
The force constant for a longer cord is smaller and must depend inversely on the length of the cord For a length
Equation (IV) can be used as a general expression for the force constant of the given cord of any length
Apply the law of conservation of energy at the top (initial condition) and bottom (final condition) of the drop.
Here,
Write the general expression for the gravitational potential energy.
Here,
Write the general expression for the elastic potential energy.
The initial and final kinetic energy of the person is zero. Moreover, the initial elastic potential energy is also zero. Thus, equation (V) can be modified using equations (VI) and (VII).
Here,
Use equation (IV) in (VII).
Since the total height of jump is
Conclusion:
Use equation (IX) in (VIII) along with substituting
Solve the quadratic equation (X).
Only the length which is less than
Therefore, the length of the cord required to jump exactly
(b)
The maximum acceleration that the person experiences during the bungee jump.
Answer to Problem 75PQ
The maximum acceleration that the person experiences during the bungee jump is
Explanation of Solution
It is obtained that the length of the cord is
During bungee jumping, the forces on the person are the gravitational force acting downward and the elastic restoring force acting upward. The total force acting on the person will be the difference of these two forces.
Write the expression for the total force acting on the person during the jump.
Here,
Write the expression for the maximum stretched distance for the given cord.
Use Newton’s second law and equation (XII) to modify equation (XI).
Here,
Use equation (IV) in equation (XIII) and solve for
Conclusion:
Substitute
Therefore, the maximum acceleration that the person experiences during the bungee jump is
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Chapter 8 Solutions
Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Foundations and Connections
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