A bungee jumping company wants to set up a bungee jumping location on
the top of a bridge that is 100 m above the ground. For safety reasons, the
company wants to select a bungee cord spring constant such that a jumper
with a mass of 98 kg will reach his lowest point - that is, the point when the
change in gravitational potential energy equals the amount of energy stored
in the bungee cord at the bottom of the jump – at 50 m above the ground.
What is the approximate spring constant the company should choose,
assuming that air resistance, friction, and the weight of the cord can be
ignored and that the cord immediately begins to stretch as soon as the
jumper begins to fall? (Recall that g = 9.8 m/s2)