Serway & Jewett — Motion in Two Dimensions: Problem 12

A basketball star covers 2.80 m horizontally in a jump to dunk the ball (Fig. P4.12a). His motion through space can be modeled precisely as that of a particle at his center of mass, which we will define in Chapter 9. His center of mass is at elevation 1.02 m when he leaves the floor. It reaches a maximum height of 1.85 m above the floor and is at elevation 0.900 m when he touches down again. Determine (a) his time of flight (his “hang time”), (b) his horizontal and (c) vertical velocity components at the instant of takeoff, and (d) his takeoff angle. (e) For comparison, determine the hang time of a whitetail deer making a jump (Fig. P4.12b) with center-of-mass elevations \(y_i = 1.20 \text{ m}\), \(y_{max} = 2.50 \text{ m}\), and \(y_f = 0.700 \text{ m}\).