1. ## Problem Involving Motion

A canister is dropped from a helicopter hovering 500m above the ground. Unfortuantly its parachute does not deploy. It has been designed to withstand an impact velocity of 100m/s. Will it burst or not?

Not sure what to do.

2. Check if $mgh\leq\frac{mv^2}{2}$ where $mgh$ is the potential energy at the drop point and with the ground as zero. Assuming my understanding of impact velocity in this question is correct.

3. No idea how to use that

4. Just plug in the values of the variables into the inequality and see if it holds.

$h=500$ (height)
$v=100$ (velocity)
$g=9.8$ (standard gravity)

$m > 0$ so you can just divide it out.

$9.8 \cdot 500 \leq 10 \cdot 500$ so it will not burst.

This is not exactly an answer to a calculus question, so I don't think I have interpreted the impact velocity correctly.

5. Originally Posted by Dickson
A canister is dropped from a helicopter hovering 500m above the ground. Unfortuantly its parachute does not deploy. It has been designed to withstand an impact velocity of 100m/s. Will it burst or not?

Not sure what to do.
For simple equation of motion without air resistance, use:

v^2 = U^2 + 2*a*s

v^2 = 0 + (2*9.8*500)

v^2 = 9800

v = sqrt (9800) = 98.99 m/s

Pretty close then!

If you factor in air resistance, the velocity at impact will be slower