A student holds a water balloon outside of an open window and lets go. The window is 10 meters above the ground, and the balloon is falling under the acceleration of gravity, which is 9.8 m/s2. There are two equations that can be used to describe its motion over time:
x=x0+v0t+12at2
v=v0+at
Would the balloon hit the ground before or after 1.0 s of falling? Which equation did you use to decide, and what comparison did you make to determine that it would or would not hit the ground by then?
Use 3–5 sentences to explain your reasoning.
(4 points)
1 answer
To determine whether the balloon hits the ground before or after 1.0 s of falling, we can use the equation x=x0+v0t+12at2. By plugging in the values, we get x=10+0+12(9.8)(1)^2=10+4.9=14.9. This equation gives us the position of the balloon after 1 second of falling. Since the window is at a height of 10 meters, and the balloon would be at a height of 14.9 meters after 1 second, we can conclude that the balloon would hit the ground after 1 second of falling.
1 answer