Bowling ball dropped into water, find velocity as it strikes the bottom

In summary, the bowling ball experiences a downward acceleration of 10-.9v2 when in the water, resulting in a velocity of 25 ft/s when it strikes the bottom of the lake.
  • #1
bbraves7
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Homework Statement



A bowling ball is dropped from a boat so that it strikes the surface of a lake with a speed of 25 ft/s. Assuming the ball experiences a downward acceleration of a=10-.9v2 when in the water, determine the velocity of the ball when it strikes the bottom of the lake.

Homework Equations



v0=25 ft/s
da/dt=v
dv/dt=y


The Attempt at a Solution



I've tried this problem a few different ways, the first by substituting v into the given a=10-.9v2 and then integrating, but that does not work because v0 is the initial velocity and not the velocity as it travels through the water, which obviously will change based on the acceleration. I think I am missing that the ball will slow down as it is in the water, and thus the acceleration will slow down according to the velocity at that time. I just can't seem to put that into the form of any equations I'm familiar with. I have the solutions manual for this textbook, but the way they solve it they include an equation a=10-.9v2=k(c2-v2) but I don't know where they pulled that from because I can't find anything close to that in the text. I desperately want to comprehend this problem rather than just regurgitate the solution. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
 
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  • #2
Some thoughts:
da/dt=v
dv/dt=y
You probably meant dv/dt=a, dy/dt=v.

You are given V0 and a, but not the depth of the lake, which should be specified.

a=10-.9v2, has units in m/s2? ft/s2?

I think the intent of specifying the acceleration that way is to indicate a terminal velocity (when a = 0). Though, if this is a very shallow lake, it may not reach terminal.
 
  • #3
Sorry, it was very late last night when I posted this problem.

I meant to put dy/dt=v, dv/dt=a.

The depth of the lake is 30m. v0= 25ft/s.

Sorry again about that. I had been working on this for about two hours so my brain was fried.
 

Related to Bowling ball dropped into water, find velocity as it strikes the bottom

What is the purpose of dropping a bowling ball into water?

The purpose is to study the effect of gravity and water resistance on the velocity of the ball as it falls to the bottom.

How is the velocity calculated?

The velocity is calculated using the formula v = gt, where g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s^2) and t is the time it takes for the ball to reach the bottom.

Does the weight of the bowling ball affect the velocity?

Yes, the weight of the bowling ball affects the velocity as it will experience a greater force due to gravity and therefore fall faster.

What factors can affect the velocity of the bowling ball?

Other than weight, factors such as air resistance, water density, and the shape and size of the ball can also affect the velocity.

How can the experiment be improved for more accurate results?

To improve accuracy, multiple trials can be conducted and an average velocity can be calculated. The experiment can also be conducted in a controlled environment with minimal external factors influencing the results.

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