Question:medium

A body falling from height 'H' takes time 'T' seconds to reach the ground. The time taken to cover the second half of height is

Show Hint

Time to fall the first half is roughly 70% ($1/\sqrt{2}$) of the total time; the second half takes the remaining 30%.
  • $\frac{T}{\sqrt{2}}$
  • $\sqrt{2}T$
  • $(\frac{\sqrt{2}-1}{\sqrt{2}})T$
  • $(\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}-1})T$
Show Solution

The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
For a body falling from rest, the displacement $s$ is proportional to the square of time $t$ according to the equation $s = \frac{1}{2}gt^2$. We need to find the total time $T$ for height $H$ and the time $t_1$ for the first half height $H/2$. The time for the second half is the difference between these two.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
1. Total time: $H = \frac{1}{2}gT^2 \implies T = \sqrt{\frac{2H}{g}}$.
2. Time for first half: $\frac{H}{2} = \frac{1}{2}gt_1^2 \implies t_1 = \sqrt{\frac{H}{g}}$.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
From the equations above, we can see that: \[ t_1 = \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} \sqrt{\frac{2H}{g}} = \frac{T}{\sqrt{2}} \] The time taken for the second half of the height ($\Delta t$) is: \[ \Delta t = T - t_1 = T - \frac{T}{\sqrt{2}} \] Factor out $T$: \[ \Delta t = T \left( 1 - \frac{1}{\sqrt{2}} \right) = T \left( \frac{\sqrt{2}-1}{\sqrt{2}} \right) \]
Step 4: Final Answer:
The time taken for the second half is \( \left( \frac{\sqrt{2}-1}{\sqrt{2}} \right) T \).
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