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Dino18
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A Physics book, mass unknown, is dropped 4.50m. What speed does the book have just before it hits the ground?
The speed of a falling book is affected by several factors, including the height from which it is dropped, the book's weight, and the presence of air resistance. The force of gravity also plays a major role in determining the speed of a falling book.
The shape and size of a book can affect its falling speed to some extent. A book with a larger surface area will experience more air resistance, slowing its fall. Similarly, a book with a streamlined shape will encounter less air resistance and fall faster compared to a book with an irregular shape.
Air resistance, also known as drag, is the force exerted by air on a falling object. As an object moves through the air, it experiences resistance, which slows its fall. The greater the surface area of the object, the more air resistance it experiences, resulting in a slower fall. However, in the absence of air resistance, all objects would fall at the same rate regardless of their weight or shape.
As a book falls, its speed increases due to the force of gravity. However, as it falls faster, the air resistance it encounters also increases, eventually balancing out the force of gravity. This results in the book reaching a maximum speed, known as terminal velocity, where the forces of gravity and air resistance are equal.
The speed of a falling book can be calculated using the formula v = √(2gh), where v is the velocity, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²), and h is the height from which the book is dropped. This formula assumes that there is no air resistance and the book is falling in a vacuum. In real-world scenarios, the calculation becomes more complex due to the impact of air resistance on the object's fall.