Mechanics: Vectors and Projectiles
Vectors and Projectiles: Audio Guided Solution
Problem 24:
The La Quebrada Cliff Divers provide daily entertainment for the crowds at Acapulco, Mexico. As a group of professional high divers, they dive off the cliff of La Quebrada and fall 45.1 m (148 feet) to the water below. More than an act of bravery, the cliff divers must time their dive so that they hit the water when the crest of an incoming wave has arrived. Determine the speed with which Pedro must run off the cliff in order to land in the water a horizontal distance of 17.8 m from the edge of the cliff.
Audio Guided Solution
Habits of an Effective Problem Solver
- Read the problem carefully and develop a mental picture of the physical situation. If necessary, sketch a simple diagram of the physical situation to help you visualize it.
- Identify the known and unknown quantities in an organized manner. Equate given values to the symbols used to represent the corresponding quantity - e.g., vox = 12.4 m/s, voy = 0.0 m/s, dx = 32.7 m, dy = ???.
- Use physics formulas and conceptual reasoning to plot a strategy for solving for the unknown quantity.
- Identify the appropriate formula(s) to use.
- Perform substitutions and algebraic manipulations in order to solve for the unknown quantity.
Read About It!
Get more information on the topic of Vectors and Projectiles at The Physics Classroom Tutorial.
- What is a Projectile?
- Characteristics of a Projectile's Trajectory
- Horizontal and Vertical Displacement
- Horizontally Launched Projectiles Problems
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