High School

You are helping with some repairs at home. You drop a hammer, and it hits the floor at a speed of 8 feet per second. If the acceleration due to gravity [tex]\( (g) \)[/tex] is 32 feet/second[tex]\(^2\)[/tex], how far above the ground [tex]\( (h) \)[/tex] was the hammer when you dropped it? Use the formula:

[tex]\[ v = \sqrt{2gh} \][/tex]

A. 8.0 feet
B. 2.0 feet
C. 1.0 foot
D. 16.0 feet

Answer :

To solve this problem, we're going to use the formula given:

[tex]\[ v = \sqrt{2gh} \][/tex]

where:
- [tex]\( v \)[/tex] is the speed of the hammer when it hits the floor, which is 8 feet per second.
- [tex]\( g \)[/tex] is the acceleration due to gravity, which is 32 feet per second squared.
- [tex]\( h \)[/tex] is the height above the ground from which the hammer was dropped.

First, let's rearrange the formula to solve for [tex]\( h \)[/tex]:

1. Start with the formula:
[tex]\[ v = \sqrt{2gh} \][/tex]

2. Square both sides to get rid of the square root:
[tex]\[ v^2 = 2gh \][/tex]

3. Solve for [tex]\( h \)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ h = \frac{v^2}{2g} \][/tex]

Now, plug in the given values:

- [tex]\( v = 8 \text{ feet/second} \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( g = 32 \text{ feet/second}^2 \)[/tex]

Calculate [tex]\( h \)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ h = \frac{8^2}{2 \times 32} = \frac{64}{64} = 1 \text{ foot} \][/tex]

Thus, the hammer was dropped from a height of 1 foot. So, the correct answer is:

C. 1.0 foot