How High Is the Bridge Based on Projectile Motion?

[keithcuda]

Homework Statement

A rock thrown horizontally from a bridge hits the water below 30 meters away in the horizontal direction. If the rock was in the air for 2 seconds, how tall is the bridge?

Homework Equations

d=.5gt²

The Attempt at a Solution

I think I am going about this the right way. Just want to double check.

d=.5*9.81*4
d= 19.62m
The bridge would be 19.62m high?

cheers,
Keith

 

[phinds]

It's been about 50 years since I've actually worked out a problem like that but it sounds wrong, and here's why: the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second per second. That means that the rock will travel 9.8 meters in the first second, but much more in the next second, so the total can't be 9.8 x 2 which is what you got.

 

[Chestermiller]

It's been about 50 years since I've actually worked out a problem like that but it sounds wrong, and here's why: the acceleration due to gravity is 9.8 meters per second per second. That means that the rock will travel 9.8 meters in the first second, but much more in the next second, so the total can't be 9.8 x 2 which is what you got.

It looks right to me. The first second it travels ~ 5 m, and the second second, it travels ~15 m.

Chet

 

[phinds]

It looks right to me. The first second it travels ~ 5 m, and the second second, it travels ~15 m.

Chet

Guess I have it wrong then that it travels 9.8m in the first second. I guess what the figure means is that at the end of the first second it is MOVING at 9.8 m/s, not that it has MOVED 9.8 m ... 50 years ago I bet I would have got it right

 

[HalfLostAndSearching]

Hello Keith,

Thank you for your question. Your approach is correct. According to the given information, the bridge would be 19.62 meters high. This calculation assumes that the rock was thrown horizontally with no initial vertical velocity. If there was an initial vertical velocity, the calculation would be slightly different. It is important to consider all factors when making scientific calculations. Keep up the good work!