How much Time?

A Ball thrown upwards from the top of a building takes 9 seconds to reach to the ground. The same ball when thrown in downwards direction with the same initial velocity takes 4 seconds to reach to the bottom. How much time will the ball take to reach the ground if it is dropped from the top of the same building?


The answer is 6.

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

4 solutions

Discussions for this problem are now closed

Arya Samanta
Jun 1, 2014

Guys for problems like this there is a simple formula \dots Well I'd like to bring forward Kanishq Goyal's idea, its the same as mine.

Where in a situation like this T 1 T_1 be the time taken by a ball thrown up from a height with initial velocity, u u

....and T 2 T_2 be the timw taken by a ball thrown below from the same height and initial velocity, u u , then \dots

T 3 T_3 , i.e. the time take if the ball is simply dropped from the same height = T 1 T 2 =\sqrt{T_1\cdot T_2}

There you go! and get T 3 = 9 4 T_3 = \sqrt{9 \cdot 4}

\Rightarrow \dots T 3 = 6 T_3 = \boxed{6}

Over and out \dots :)

@Aman "v=u-gt(opposite direction) and at the maximum height v=0 so t=u/g and for the for returnig to top of the building t'=u/g. So total time taken is T = t + t' = 2u/g.

Divya Solanki - 7 years ago
Vaibhav Sahu
May 24, 2014

The time taken for the ball to return to the top after it is thrown up with a velocity 'u' will be (2u/g). Now the ball has the same velocity 'u' but now towards the ground. Hence, the time taken henceforth to reach the ground will be the same as if it were thrown down with the same initial velocity 'u'. So we get an equation over 'u', i.e. => (2u/g) + 4 = 9 Solving for 'u' we get u = 25 m/s. Now we put this in for the equation s = ut + (at²/2) => and find the height of the building. Now we equate this with the expression for distance covered for free fall i.e. s = gt²/2 and finally get the time taken for free fall !! The final equation comes out as T² = 36 where T is the required time and hence T = 6 s .

Simple formula T=root(T1T2)

Kanishq Goyal - 7 years ago

That works for this case but does it works in all such sums ? I would really apreciate if u can give theoretical proof...

Darshan Dani - 6 years, 12 months ago

Here's your proof buddy.

Let h be height of the tower and t 1 { t }_{ 1 } be time for first case and t 2 { t }_{ 2 } be time for second case and t be time for the last case.

For Particle 1:

h = u t 1 1 2 g t 1 2 -h=u{ t }_{ 1 }-\frac { 1 }{ 2 } g{ t }_{ 1 }^{ 2 } (eq. 1)

For particle 2:

h = u t 2 + 1 2 g t 2 2 h=u{ t }_{ 2 }+\frac { 1 }{ 2 } g{ t }_{ 2 }^{ 2 } (eq. 2)

For Particle 3:

h = 1 2 g t 2 h=\frac { 1 }{ 2 } g{ t }^{ 2 } (eq. 3)

When you eliminate u from eq. 1 and eq. 2(I believe you can do that?), you get:

h = 1 2 g t 1 t 2 h=\frac { 1 }{ 2 } g{ t }_{ 1 }{ t }_{ 2 } (eq. 4)

And then by equating eq. 3 and eq.4 we get:

t = t 1 t 2 t=\sqrt { { t }_{ 1 }{ t }_{ 2 } }

Hence proved.

Siddharth Singh - 6 years, 11 months ago

I used 9.8 as acceleration and got a wrong answer

Sushant Gupta - 6 years, 12 months ago

how 2u /g has come

Aman Real - 7 years ago

If it s thrown up with initial velocity u then it takes a time t=u/g to reach the top (using v{f}=v{I}+at) so does take to return back to point from where it was thrown,hence total time will be 2t I.e 2u/g

s = ut + (at²/2)

H=-v * 9+(1/2) * g * 9^2

H=v * 4+(1/2) * g * 4^2

Eliminating H we have v * 4 + (1/2) * g * 16=-v * 9+(1/2 ) * g * 81

Simplifying we have v * 13=(1/2) * g * 65

which then yields v=(1/2) * g * 5

Substituting in an equation for H we have H=(1/2) * g * 5 * 4+(1/2) * g * 4^2 = (1/2) * g * 36

t=36^(1/2)=6

John Dore - 7 years ago
Rick B
Oct 6, 2014

When the ball is thrown upwards:

h = 9 v 0 + 5 × 81 h = -9v_0 + 5 \times 81 ( α \alpha )

When the ball is thrown downwards:

h = 4 v 0 + 5 × 16 h = 4v_0 + 5 \times 16 ( β \beta )

So:

4 v 0 + 5 × 16 = 9 v 0 + 5 × 81 4v_0 + 5 \times 16 = -9v_0 + 5 \times 81

13 v 0 = 5 × ( 81 16 ) = 5 × 65 = 325 \implies 13v_0 = 5 \times (81-16) = 5 \times 65 = 325

v 0 = 325 13 = 25 \implies v_0 = \frac {325}{13} = 25

Plugging the value of v 0 v_0 into ( α \alpha ) or ( β \beta ), we can discover the height, which is 180 180 . Knowing the height, we can discover the time the ball will take to reach the ground when dropped by doing this:

180 = 5 t 3 2 180 = 5t_3^2

t 3 2 = 36 \implies t_3^2 = 36

t 3 = 6 \implies t_3 = \boxed{6} seconds.

This is how I solve the problem.

Đức Huy Là Ta - 6 years, 7 months ago

d = V * 9 - (1/2) * g *9^2 .........I .

d = V * 4 - (1/2) * g *4^2 .........II

V = (1/2) * g * 5........................III

Substituting III ..in.. II

d = (1/2) * g * 36

t = sqrt(36) = 6.

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...