A painter is standing on scaffolding that is raised at constant speed. As he tra

Question

A painter is standing on scaffolding that is raised at constant speed. As he travels upward, he accidentally nudges a paint can off the scaffolding and it falls a distance 14.5m to the ground. You are watching, and measure with your stopwatch that it takes a time of 3.27s for the can to reach the ground. Ignore air resistance.

a)What is the speed of the can just before it hits the ground?

b)Another painter is standing on a ledge, with his hands a distance 4.10 above the can when it falls off. He has lightning-fast reflexes and if the can passes in front of him, he can catch it. Does he get the chance?

Explanation / Answer

a)

s = ut - 0.5*g*t^2

so,

-14.5 = ut - 0.5gt^2

u = 11.605 m/s

v = u-gt

so,

v = 11.605 - 9.81x3.27

v = -20.4736 m/s

v = 20.4736 m/s downward velocity

b)

maximum height of can = u^2/2g = 6.86422 m

as 6.86422 m > 4.10 m, he has a chance of catching it.

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