Two divers, one on the 15 ft platform and one on the 30 ft platform, hope to perform a joint dive in which they enter the water at the same time. If each begins with an upward jump with an initial velocity of at 14 ft/s, how much time difference should there be between the start of the two dives?
A) 0.43 s
B) 30.00 s
C) 0.38 s
D) 0.75 s

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The time it takes for a diver to fall from a platform can be found using the equation d = 1/2at^2, where d is the distance fallen, a is acceleration due to gravity (-32 ft/s^2), and t is time.

For the diver on the 15 ft platform, the time it takes to fall is:
15 ft = 1/2(-32 ft/s^2)t^2
t = sqrt(15/16) seconds

For the diver on the 30 ft platform, the time it takes to fall is:
30 ft = 1/2(-32 ft/s^2)t^2
t = sqrt(30/16) seconds

The time difference between the two dives is the difference between the two times:
t_difference = (sqrt(30/16) - sqrt(15/16)) seconds

t_difference = 0.38 seconds (rounded to two decimal places)

Therefore, the answer is C: 0.38 s.

Two Divers, One on the 15 Ft Platform and One