Position Time, falling objects

[dwilson89]

Please help! I've been both conceptually blocked for quite some time and need help fast!
A rock is dropped from a sea cliff, and the sound of it striking the ocean is heard 4.0 later. Given the speed of sound is 340m/s, calculate how high the cliff is in meters.

 

[rl.bhat]

If h is the height of the cliff, time taken by the rock to fall is given by

h = 1/2*g*t1^2.

Time taken by the sound to reach the top of the cliff is t2 = h/340.

Now t1 + t2 = 4 s.

Substitute the values of t1 and t2 in the above equations and solve for h.

 

[dwilson89]

If h is the height of the cliff, time taken by the rock to fall is given by

h = 1/2*g*t1^2.

Time taken by the sound to reach the top of the cliff is t2 = h/340.

Now t1 + t2 = 4 s.

Substitute the values of t1 and t2 in the above equations and solve for h.

So do you mean solve to T1 in the first equation, then add the two together and solve for h?

 

[graphene]

Get t1 in terms of h. Then get t2 in terms of h.
& Substitute these into t1 + t2 = 4.

 

[rwisz]

Hello,

I understand that you are looking for assistance with understanding the concept of position and time for falling objects. It is completely normal to feel stuck or blocked when learning new concepts, and I am here to help you.

In the scenario you have provided, we have a rock that is dropped from a sea cliff and the sound of it hitting the ocean is heard 4.0 seconds later. We also know that the speed of sound is 340m/s. To calculate the height of the cliff, we can use the equation d = 1/2gt^2, where d is the distance, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8m/s^2), and t is the time.

First, we need to find the time it takes for the rock to fall from the cliff to the ocean. We can do this by dividing the total time (4.0 seconds) by 2, since the sound has to travel both ways (from the cliff to the person's ear and back). This gives us a time of 2.0 seconds for the rock to fall.

Now, we can plug in the values into the equation: d = 1/2 (9.8m/s^2)(2.0s)^2. This gives us a distance of 19.6 meters, which is the height of the cliff.

I hope this helps you understand the concept better. Remember, it is important to take your time and break down the problem into smaller parts to fully understand it. If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to ask. Keep up the good work!