Question

Missy Diwater the former platform diver for the Ringling Brother's circus had a kinetic energy of 15000 j just to prior to hitting the bucket of water. If Missy's mass is 50 kg, then what is her speed?

Answer 1

Missy's kinetic energy just before hitting the bucket of water is given by
$K= \frac{1}{2}mv^2$
where m is Missy's mass and v her speed. Since we know the value of the kinetic energy, K=15000 J and the mass, m=50 kg, we can find Missy's speed before hitting the water bucket:
$v= \sqrt{ \frac{2K}{m} } = \sqrt{ \frac{2 \cdot 15000 J}{50 kg} } =24.5 m/s$