Question

A water slide is constructed so that swimmers, starting from rest at the top of the slide, leave the end of the slide traveling horizontally. As the drawing shows, one person hits the water 5.00 m from the end of the slide in a time of 0.434 s after leaving the slide. Ignore friction and air resistance, find the height H in the drawing.

Answer 1

Firstly we find the velocity of the person

velocity v=s/t=5/0.434=11.52 m/s

now we find the height of the end of the slide

h=1/2gt^2=1/2*9,8*0.434^2=0.923 m

the height of the end of the slide is h=0.923 m

applying law of conservation of energy

P.E at starting of slide =P.E at end of slide +K.E

mgH=mgh+1/2mv^2

H=h+1/2v^2

=0.923+1/2*11.52^2

=67.3m

therefore the starting height of slide H=67.3 m