A potato gun shoots a potato horizontally from a height of 5 feet. How long does it take to hit the ground?

1 answer

Since there is no vertical velocity component initially, that would be the same time it takes a dropped object to fall 5 feet. Use the equation

5 ft= (g/2)*t^2
where
g = 32.2 ft/s^2

Solve for t.

t = 0.557 s