The Thrilling Cliff Divers of Acapulco, Mexico

How fast are the cliff divers going when they hit the water in Acapulco, Mexico?

Calculating the Velocity of Cliff Divers

When cliff divers jump off a 34.2-meter-high cliff in Acapulco, Mexico, neglecting air resistance, they will be traveling at a speed equal to the square root of two times the product of the acceleration due to gravity and the height of the cliff.

The speed of an object in free fall can be determined using the equation v = √(2gh), where v is the velocity, g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s²), and h is the height of the cliff. In this case, the height of the cliff is 34.2 meters. By substituting the values into the equation, we can calculate the speed at which the cliff divers hit the water. The neglect of air resistance assumes that the only force acting on the divers is gravity.

Therefore, the velocity of the cliff divers when they hit the water can be calculated as follows:
v = √(2 * 9.8 * 34.2)
v = √(668.04)
v ≈ 25.84 m/s
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