How far from the foot of the cliff does the ball land?

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In summary: Now the correct velocity value is 26.395 m/s which seem better. In summary, a solid, uniform ball rolls up a hill without slipping and reaches the top with a velocity of 29 m/s and a height of 22.0 m. It then goes over a vertical cliff, acting as a projectile with purely potential energy. By using an energy balance and projectile motion equations, the velocity of the ball just before it lands can be calculated to be 26.395 m/s. The distance from the foot of the cliff where the ball lands can also be determined using the projectile motion equation.
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inia6448
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A solid, uniform ball rolls without slipping up a hill. At the top of the hill it is moving horizontally; then it goes over the vertical cliff. V= 29 m/s and H= 22.0m
A) How far from the foot of the cliff does the ball land?
B) How fast is it moving just before it lands?

Been stuck on this one for a while but this is what I have so far.

From my understanding before the ball starts rolling up the hill it has pure kinetic energy. As the ball goes up the hill, kinetic energy gets transferred to potential, but at the top of the hill it will still have some kinetic energy and the rest stored as potential energy. When the ball flies off the cliff it will act as a projectile and have purely potential energy.

I broke the problem down into thinking that I need to find the velocity of the ball before it flies off the cliff so I did an energy balance on the ball before it goes up the hill and after it goes up the hill:
mgh = (.5mvf2 -.5mvi2) + (.5Iωf2-.5Iωi2)
Then solved for vf:
(gh+7/10*vi2)/(7/10) = 33.8969 m/s

I then used the projectile motion equation y = y0 + v0 - .5gt2
Using the quadratic formula I obtained the time that it took 7.51 seconds to fall back to the ground. I substituted this time value into the projectile motion equation for x and obtained 255 m which seems way too high.

I'm kind of at a loss as to what to do with this problem. I feel like my approach is correct but the error is coming from the energy balance, I don't think I'm including something that needs to be there.

A nudge in the right direction would be very much appreciated.
 
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Is 29m/s its horizontal speed at the top of the cliff? And the ground is 22m below?

I don't see rotational K.E. playing any part in the solution.
 
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NascentOxygen said:
Is 29m/s its horizontal speed at the top of the cliff? And the ground is 22m below?

I don't see rotational K.E. playing any part in the solution.
29 m/s is the horizontal velocity before it goes up the hill that is 22m high. I just figured it out though. Did an energy balance between the bottom and top of the hill instead of after it falls and the top of the hill. Because of that I was getting the wrong velocity value.
 

1. What is the formula for calculating the distance from the foot of the cliff?

The formula for calculating the distance from the foot of the cliff is d = vt + (1/2)gt^2, where d is the distance, v is the initial velocity, t is the time, and g is the acceleration due to gravity.

2. How do you determine the initial velocity of the ball?

The initial velocity of the ball can be determined through experiments or by using the equation v = d/t, where v is the velocity, d is the distance, and t is the time.

3. Does the angle of projection affect the distance from the foot of the cliff?

Yes, the angle of projection does affect the distance from the foot of the cliff. The distance will be greater if the ball is projected at an angle closer to 45 degrees.

4. Is air resistance taken into account when calculating the distance from the foot of the cliff?

In most cases, air resistance is not considered when calculating the distance from the foot of the cliff. However, if the ball is projected at a high velocity or if the cliff is very tall, air resistance may have a noticeable effect on the distance.

5. How does the distance from the foot of the cliff change if the ball is thrown from a higher point?

The distance from the foot of the cliff will increase if the ball is thrown from a higher point, as the ball will have a higher potential energy and therefore a greater initial velocity. This will result in a longer flight time and a farther distance traveled.

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