A person stands on top of a cliff and throws a ball with a speed of 20 m/s at an angle of 10 degrees from above the horizontal into the sea. What is the height of the cliff to 1 decimal place?

I would begin by instructing them to draw a diagram of the problem. This would be of a cliff, labelled height sy, with an arrow representing the ball being thrown from the top. This should be labelled with the velocity and angle of projection. I would then instruct them to choose a direction for the vertical and horizontal and thus split the problem into the two planes. Then, I would advise they write down what they know in terms of the variables of motion (i.e. x/y initial/final velocity, displacement, time, acceleration) which, in this case, is uy = 20sin10, ux=20cos10, ay=-9.8 ms-2 and tf=3s. Then, I would advise that they consider what variable they are looking for (sy) and to find the appropriate equation of motion that includes variables that we know or can calculate. Thus, they should find that the useful e.o.m. is s=ut+1/2at2 and thus obtain the final answer of 33.7m.

AC
Answered by Archie C. Physics tutor

2195 Views

See similar Physics A Level tutors

Related Physics A Level answers

All answers ▸

Explain quantitatively how an object can follow circular motion whilst on a ramp with no friction in the radial direction.


What velocity should your boat have if you want to cross a 72m wide river in 6s by the shortest distance, with a 5 m/s downstream current?


How can I measure the orbital period of a satellite around Earth?


Explain how fluorescent tubes work


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2026 by IXL Learning