A stone is dropped from a height of 45 m (g = 10 m/s^2, no air resistance). With what speed does it hit the ground?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. 30 m/s

  1. Step 1: Energy conservation gives m g h = (1/2) m v^2, so v = sqrt(2 g h).
  2. Step 2: v = sqrt(2 x 10 x 45) = sqrt(900) = 30 m/s.
Answer
30 m/s.
Why not the others: '450 m/s' multiplies g by the height; '900 m/s' gives v^2 and forgets the square root; '15 m/s' forgets the factor 2 inside the square root.

Practise more Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetism.

Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Qatar Senior Secondary Certificate (Thanaweya) mock tests.