Projectile Motion: Where Does the Car Strike the Water?

How far from the base of the cliff does the car strike the water?

The car strikes the water 27.7 m far from the base of the cliff.

Answer:

The car strikes the water 27.7 m far from the base of the cliff.

Let's dive into the exciting world of projectile motion! When a car traveling at 10 m/sec rolls off the edge of a cliff that is 37.6 m above the ocean, the big question is: how far from the base of the cliff does the car strike the water?

Well, the motion of the car can be described as a projectile motion. This means it follows a parabolic path consisting of two independent motions: a uniform motion (constant velocity) along the horizontal direction, and an accelerated motion with constant acceleration (gravity) in the vertical direction.

First, we need to consider the vertical motion. Since the car is in free fall, we can use a suvat equation to find the time it takes for the car to reach the water. By plugging in the values for vertical displacement, initial vertical velocity, and acceleration due to gravity, we calculate the time of flight to be 2.77 seconds.

Next, we look at the horizontal motion. The car travels at a constant speed horizontally, so we can calculate the horizontal distance it covers by multiplying the initial horizontal velocity with the time of flight. This gives us a distance of 27.7 meters from the base of the cliff where the car strikes the water.

And there you have it! With a mix of physics and fun, we've solved the mystery of where the car strikes the water in this thrilling projectile motion scenario. Keep exploring and learning more about projectile motion to uncover more fascinating insights!