A man jumps from a building 202 m high onto cushions of total thickness 2 m. If the cushions are crushed to a thickness of 0.5 m, what is the magnitude of his acceleration while slowing down?

Question

G1 Physics · Accepted Answer

The man falls 200 m before reaching the cushion top, so v²≈2g(200)=4000 using g≈10 m s⁻². The cushion compresses from 2 m to 0.5 m, so stopping distance is 1.5 m. With 0=v²-2a(1.5), a=4000/3 m s⁻². Hence option B.