In February 1955, a paratrooper fell 370 m from an airplane without being able t
ID: 2176266 • Letter: I
Question
In February 1955, a paratrooper fell 370 m from an airplane without being able to open his chute but happened to land in snow, suffering only minor injuries. Assume that his speed at impact was 59 m/s (terminal speed), that his mass (including gear) was 74 kg, and that the magnitude of the force on him from the snow was at the survivable limit of 1.4 x 105 N. What are (a) the minimum depth of snow that would have stopped him safely and (b) the magnitude of the impulse on him from the snow?Explanation / Answer
if his velocity went from 52m/s to 0 m/s in 0.037s , his accel is 52m/s/0.037s = -1412m/s/s we can find distance from: vf^2=v0^2+2ad 0=52^2+2(-1412)d =>d=52^2/(2*1412)=0.96m of snow