A ball is released from rest at the top of a vertical tower of height
PHYSICS · Multi-part · A Level · Physics · Mechanics and materials · Mechanics and materials
Problem
A ball is released from rest at the top of a vertical tower of height H. Neglect air resistance and take acceleration due to gravity as g.
(i) Define free fall and state the standard value of acceleration due to gravity near the surface of the Earth.
(ii) Show that when the ball has fallen through half the height of the tower, its speed is v=gH.
(iii) If the height of the tower is 80m, calculate:
(a) the speed of the ball just before it reaches the ground,
(b) the time taken to reach the ground, and
(c) the average velocity of the ball for the entire fall.