If a spring-operated gun can shoot a pellet to a maximum height of 100 m on Earth, how high could the pellet rise if fired on the Moon, where g = 1.6 m/s²?
A) 100 m
B) 17 m
C) 610 m
D) 3.6 km
E) 160 m

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The maximum height $h$ achieved by a projectile is inversely proportional to the acceleration due to gravity $g$, given by the formula $h = \frac{v^2}{2g}$, where $v$ is the initial velocity of the projectile. Since the acceleration due to gravity on the Moon ($1.6 \, \text{m/s}^2$) is $1/6$th of that on Earth ($9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2$), the height achieved on the Moon would be 6 times the height achieved on Earth, making it $100 \, \text{m} \times 6 = 600 \, \text{m}$. The closest answer to this calculation is 610 m.

If a Spring-Operated Gun Can Shoot a Pellet to a Maximum