Chapter 3, Problem 57P

An aging coyote cannot run fast enough to catch a roadrunner. He purchases on eBay a set of jet-powered roller skates, which provide a constant horizontal acceleration of 15.0 m/s² (Fig. P3.57). The coyote starts at rest 70.0 m from the edge of a cliff at the instant the roadrunner zips past in the direction of the cliff. (a) Determine the minimum constant speed the roadrunner must have to reach the cliff before the coyote. At the edge of the cliff, the roadrunner escapes by making a sudden turn, while the coyote continues straight ahead. The coyote’s skates remain horizontal and continue to operate while he is in flight, so his acceleration while in the air is $\left(15.0\hat{i}-9.80\hat{j}\right)$ m/s². (b) The cliff is 100 m above the flat floor of the desert. Determine how far from the base of the vertical cliff the coyote lands. (c) Determine the components of the coyote’s impact velocity.