A ball is kicked from level ground at 20 m/s at 30 degrees above the horizontal (g = 10 m/s^2, no air resistance). What is its speed when it is 3.2 m above the ground?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. about 18.3 m/s

  1. Step 1: Mechanical energy is conserved, so the speed depends only on the height gained, not on the launch angle.
  2. Step 2: v^2 = v0^2 - 2 g h = 400 - 2(10)(3.2) = 400 - 64 = 336.
  3. Step 3: v = sqrt(336), which is about 18.3 m/s.
Answer
about 18.3 m/s.
Why not the others: '17.32 m/s' is the horizontal component 20 cos 30, the speed at the top; '16.7 m/s' subtracts 64 from the speed instead of from its square; '20 m/s' is the launch speed.

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