Question

A cat chases a mouse across a 0.98 m high
table. The mouse steps out of the way, and
the cat slides off the table and strikes the floor
1.0 m from the edge of the table.
The acceleration of gravity is 9.81 m/s
2
.
What was the cat’s speed when it slid off
the table?
Answer in units of m/s

Answer 1

The time of flight is

$$t=\sqrt{\frac{2h}{g}}$$

The cat’s speed when it slid off the table:

$$v=\frac{x}{t}=x\sqrt{\frac{g}{2h}}$$

$$v=1.0\sqrt{\frac{9.81}{2(0.98)}}=2.2\frac{m}{s}$$