A Flowerpot Falling from a Balcony: How Long to Hit the Ground?

How long does it take for a flowerpot to hit the ground when dropped from a balcony 85 meters above the street? Final answer: Using the kinematic equation for free fall, we find that it takes approximately 4.16 seconds for a flowerpot to hit the street from a height of 85 meters, thus the closest answer is 4.2 seconds (option a).

Explanation:

The question pertains to the physics concept of free fall, where an object is subject to gravity alone. When an object is dropped or falls from a height, it accelerates towards the ground due to the force of gravity acting on it. In this scenario, we are considering a flowerpot falling from a balcony 85 meters above the street.

To determine the time it takes for the flowerpot to hit the street, we can use the kinematic equation for uniformly accelerated motion without initial velocity:

s = ½gt²

Where: s is the distance fallen (85 meters), g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s²), and t is the time in seconds.

By substituting the given values into the equation and solving for t:

85 m = ½ * 9.81 m/s² * t²

t² = 2 * 85 m / 9.81 m/s²

t² = 17.31

t = √17.31

t ≈ 4.16 s

Therefore, the time it takes for the flowerpot to hit the ground is approximately 4.16 seconds, which is closest to the provided answer of 4.2 seconds (option a).

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