A man of 50 kg mass is standing in a gravity free space at a height of 10 m above the floor. He throws a stone of 0.5 kg mass downwards with a speed 2 m/s. When the stone reaches the floor, the distance of the man above the floor will be
- 9.9 m
- 10.1 m
- 10 m
- 20 m
Answer
(2) 10.1 m
Solution
No external force acts, so momentum is conserved:
0 = 0.5 2 - 50 V
V = 0.02 m/s (upward)
Time taken by the stone to reach the floor (no gravity, uniform speed):
t = 102 = 5 s
Distance moved up by the man:
0.02 5 = 0.1 m
Height of the man = 10 + 0.1 = 10.1 m
Answer: (2)