Question

Dwight drops a watermelon from the roof of the Dunder Mifflin building, which is about 43 feet high. How long until it hits the roof of Stanley’s car that is five feet tall?

a. 1.76 seconds
b. 1.94 seconds
c. 2.34 seconds
d. 2.58 seconds

Answer 1

To calculate the time it takes for the watermelon to hit the roof of Stanley’s car, we can use the equation of motion and solve for the time. The correct answer is 1.76 seconds.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the time it takes for the watermelon to hit the roof of Stanley’s car, we can use the equation of motion: d = ut + ½at², where d is the distance, u is the initial velocity, t is the time, and a is the acceleration. In this case, the watermelon is dropped so the initial velocity u is 0. The acceleration due to gravity, a, is approximately 9.8 m/s².

Let's calculate the time it takes for the watermelon to fall from the roof to the car roof:

d = 43ft - 5ft = 38ft (converting to meters: 38ft * 0.3048m/ft = 11.5824m)

11.5824m = 0 * t + 0.5 * 9.8m/s² * t²

Simplifying the equation:

11.5824m = 4.9m/s² * t²

Solving for t:

t = sqrt(11.5824m / 4.9m/s²) ≈ 1.76 seconds

Therefore, the correct answer is 1.76 seconds (option a).