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A boy of mass 62.6 kg is rescued from a hotel fire by leaping into a firefighter

ID: 1963272 • Letter: A

Question

A boy of mass 62.6 kg is rescued from a hotel fire by leaping into a firefighters' net. The window from which he leapt was 8.8 m above the net. The firefighters lower their arms as he lands in the net so that he is brought to a complete stop in a time of 0.40 s. Ignore air resistance.
a.)What is his change in momentum during this time interval?
b.)What is the impulse on the net due to the boy during the interval? [Hint: Do not ignore gravity.]
c.) What is the average force on the net due to the boy during the interval?

Explanation / Answer

Mass of the boy m = 62.6 Kg velocity of boy just before hitting the net, u = Sqrt[2gh]                                                                        = Sqrt[2 * 9.8 m/s^2 * 8.8 m]                                                                        = 13.133 m/s Time of contact t = 0.4 s velocity of boy just after the collision, v = 0 (a) Change in momentum P = m(u - v)                                            = (62.6 Kg)(13.133m/s - 0)                                             = 822.13 Kg m/s (or) N s (b) Impulse = change in momentum = 822.13 Kg m/s (b) Average force F = P/t                            = ( 822.13 N s)/(0.4 s)                            = 2055.34 N