High School

A 55 kg lead ball is dropped off the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. If the initial velocity of the ball is 0 m/s, what is the speed of the ball in m/s after falling 39.1 m?

Answer :

Final answer:

The speed of a 55kg lead ball after falling 39.1m from rest is approximately 27.69 m/s, obtained using the kinematic equation for an object in free fall.

Explanation:

To find the speed of the ball after falling 39.1 meters from rest, we can use the formula derived from the basic equations of kinematics for an object in free fall:

v2 = u2 + 2gh

Where v is the final velocity, u is the initial velocity (which is 0 m/s in this case), g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s2 on Earth), and h is the height (39.1 m).

Plugging the values into the equation:

v2 = 02 + 2(9.81 m/s2)(39.1 m)
v2 = 766.962 m2/s2
v = √(766.962 m2/s2)
v = 27.69 m/s (rounded to two decimal places)

Therefore, after falling 39.1 meters, the speed of the lead ball would be approximately 27.69 m/s.