Comic #2799: 2013-01-15

Description

Here’s a transcription of the text from the comic:

Problem 2 (30 points)
A 5 kilogram ball is shot directly right at 20 meters per second from a height of 10 meters. The ball loses 1 joule whenever it touches Earth. Assume no air resistance. When does the ball stop bouncing?

If there is no air, the surface of the Earth will be littered with the bodies of the dead. So, the ball will come to a halt in the first still-warm husk of a snuffed-out life it encounters.

Thus, the equation is simply
[ y = y_0 + v_0 t + \frac{1}{2} a t^2 ]
[ 0 = 10 + 0 + \frac{1}{2} (9.8) t^2 ]
[ t = 1.4 \, s ]

You monster.