A rubber ball is dropped from a height of 1.5m.

Question

a) How long does it take to hit the ground?
b) What is the velocity of the ball immediately before it makes contact with the ground?

Answer 1

a) To find the time it takes for the ball to hit the ground, we can use the equation for free fall:

h = (1/2)gt^2

Where h is the height, g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s^2), and t is the time. Given that h = 1.5 m, we can solve for t:

1.5 = (1/2)(9.8)t^2
3 = 9.8t^2
t^2 = 3/9.8
t^2 ≈ 0.306
t ≈ √0.306
t ≈ 0.553 seconds

So, it takes approximately 0.553 seconds for the ball to hit the ground.

b) The velocity of the ball immediately before it makes contact with the ground can be found using the equation:

v = gt

Where v is the velocity and g is the acceleration due to gravity. Plugging in the values:

v = (9.8)(0.553)
v ≈ 5.42 m/s

Thus, the velocity of the ball immediately before it makes contact with the ground is approximately 5.42 m/s.