Physics problem?

Question

A physics student playing with an air hockey table (a frictionless surface) finds that if she gives the puck a velocity of 3.75 m/s along the length (1.78 m) of the table at one end, by the time it has reached the other end the puck has drifted a distance 2.48 cm to the right but still has a velocity component along the length of 3.7 m/s. She concludes correctly that the table is not level and correctly calculates its inclination from the above information.

What is the angle of inclination? (Take the free fall acceleration to be g = 9.80 m/s^2)

Thanks for the help.

Answer 1

Using the initial velocity and length we get a time of 1.78/3.75 = 0.475 seconds Therefore the puck drifted the distance of 2.48 cm = .0248meters in 0.475 seconds. Using (at^2)/2 = d and plugging in the known d and t we get a = 0.22m/sec^2 The angle would then be figured by sin( angle)*9.8 = 0.22 so Angle is 1.29 degrees.