A 103 kg physics professor has fallen into the Grand Canyon and is hanging 93 m below the rim, holding onto a branch. A student, majoring in linguistics and physics, attempts a rescue using a nearby horse. After lowering a rope to the professor and attaching the other end to the horse, the student measures the time it takes for the horse to pull the professor to the rim of the Grand Canyon.

Given:
- Mass of the professor: 103 kg
- Distance from the rim: 93 m
- Acceleration due to gravity: 9.8 m/s²

Calculate or analyze the scenario as needed.

Question

High School

Answer :

boffeemadrid boffeemadrid · Answer 1 · 2025-04-14T00:07:38-04:00

Answer:

125.83672 seconds

Explanation:

P = Power of the horse = 1 hp = 746 W (as it is not given we have assumed the horse has the power of 1 hp)

m = Mass of professor = 103 kg

g = Acceleration due to gravity = 9.8 m/s²

h = Height of professor = 93 m

Work done would be equal to the potential energy

[tex]W=mgh\\\Rightarrow W=103\times 9.8\times 93\\\Rightarrow W=93874.2\ J[/tex]

Power is given by

[tex]P=\frac{W}{t}\\\Rightarrow t=\frac{W}{P}\\\Rightarrow t=\frac{93874.2}{746}\\\Rightarrow t=125.83672\ seconds[/tex]

The time taken by the horse to pull the professor is 125.83672 seconds