A person sitting on the top of a tall building is dropping balls at regular intervals of one second. Determine the positions of the 3rd, 4th and 5th ball when the 6th ball is being dropped.

Step-by-step solution

Let the time when the 6th ball is dropped be t = 0 . Since the balls are dropped at regular intervals of 1 s , the time elapsed for the other balls are: Time for 5th ball, t₅ = 1 s Time for 4th ball, t₄ = 2 s Time for 3rd ball, t₃ = 3 s The distance fallen by a freely falling body in time t is given by h = 1 2 gt^2 . Taking g = 9.8 m/s ^2 : Distance of the 3rd ball from the top: h₃ = 1 2 9.8 (3)^2 = 4.9 9 = 44.1 m Distance of the 4th ball from the top: h₄ = 1 2 9.8 (2)^2 = 4.9 4 = 19.6 m Distance of the 5th ball fr