An eagle is flying horizontally at a speed of 3.10 m/s when the fish in her talons wiggles loose and falls into the lake 6.10 m below. Calculate the velocity (in m/s) of the fish relative to the water when it hits the water. (Assume that the eagle is flying in the x-direction and that the y-direction is up.)

10.93m/s with the assumption that the water in the lake is still (the water has a speed of zero)

Explanation:

The velocity of the fish relative to the water when it hits the water surface is equal to the resultant velocity between the fish and the water when it hits it.

The fish drops on the water surface vertically with a vertical velocity v. Nothing was said about the velocity of the water, hence we can safely assume that the velocity if the water in the lake is zero, meaning that it is still. Therefore the relative velocity becomes equal to the velocity v with which the fish strikes the water surface.

We use the first equation of motion for a free-falling body to obtain v as follows;

v = u + gt....................(1)

where g is acceleration due to gravity taken as 9.8m/s/s

It should also be noted that the horizontal and vertical components of the motion are independent of each other, hence we take u = 0 as the fish falls vertically.

To obtain t, we use the second equation of motion as stated;

Given; h = 6.10m.

since u = 0 for the vertical motion;  equation (2) can be written as follows;

substituting;

Putting this value of t in equation (1) we obtain the following;

v = 0 + 9.8*1.12

v = 10.93m/s

unlike poles attract