A cat chases a mouse across a 1.0 m high table. The mouse steps out of the way, and the cat slides off the table and strikes the floor 2.2 m from the edge of the table. When the cat slid off of the table, what was its speed?
2007-11-20 03:08:50 · 3 answers · asked by x x italian baby x x 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
This is a kinematics problem in two dimensions.
Put the origin on the floor, so the initial position of the cat is
xo = 0
yo = 1.0 m
The initial velocities are
vox = unknown
voy = 0 m/s
The vertical motion is described by:
y = yo + voy t + 1/2 g t^2
yo is 1.0 meters (initial height)
y is 0 meters (final height)
voy is zero
g is -9.8 m/s^2
Solve for time
Now the horizontal: motion is described by:
x = xo + vox t
You know that xo = 0, x = 2.2 m, and you just found t. Solve for vox.
2007-11-20 03:31:48 · answer #1 · answered by jgoulden 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Use gravity as 9.8m/s^2. First you find out how long the cat takes to fall off the table. Set 1 meter equal to half the acceleation of gravity times time in seconds squared. You find it took .4517 seconds to hit the ground. Now you know the cat landed 2.2 meters away from the table while he was in the air. Now you can find the speed of the cat divide the distance by the time and find the cat was going about 4.87 m/s.
2007-11-20 03:22:43 · answer #2 · answered by michael c 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
use s = 1/2 at^2 to find time taken for cat to collide with floor
using s as vertical distance from floor, and a as accel.due to grav (9.81)
then use the new time value, in the formula v = s/t
we are considering horizontal velocity, so substitute horizonal distance from table, and time, to get velocity just when it slid off the table.
air resistance and friction must be negligible for the answer to be sold with the given's.
we are only considering horizontal component of the speed, just before it went into free fall.
2007-11-20 03:27:02 · answer #3 · answered by browian_ratchet 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋