Question

A cat chases a mouse across a 0.51 m high
table. The mouse steps out of the way, and
the cat slides off the table and strikes the floor
1.5 m from the edge of the table.
The acceleration of gravity is 9.81 m/s2 .
What was the cat’s speed when it slid off
the table?
Answer in units of m/s.

Answer 1

First, calculate the time T that it takes to fall Y = 0.51 m. That time will not be affected by the initial horizontal velocity.

Since Y = (1/2) g T^2,

T = sqrt(2Y/g) = 0.323 s

The initial velocity can be computed from the horizontal distance X that the mouse travels while falling, since
X = V T .

Solve for V