Question

Converting between compound unitsA parachutist's speed during a free fall reaches 198 feet per second. What is this speed in meters per second? At this speed, how many meters will theparachutist fall during 5 seconds of free fall? In your computations, assume that 1 meter is equal to 3.3 feet. Do not round your answers.

Answer 1

Parachutist speed: 198 feet per second

We need to convert this speed to meters per second. We know that the conversion between feet and meters is:

$1\text{ foot }\to\frac{10}{33}\text{ meters}$

Then, the speed is:

$198ft/s=198\cdot\frac{10}{33}m/s=60\text{ m/s}$

The distance traveled and the speed are related by:

$d=v\cdot t$

Where d is the distance, v is the speed and t is the time. Now, if t = 5 seconds, and knowing the speed of the parachutist, the distance is:

$d=60\cdot5=300\text{ m}$