Seagulls are often observed dropping clams and other shellfish from a height to the rocks below, as a mean of opening the shells. If a seagull drops a shell from rest at a height of 14.0m, how fast is the shell moving when it hits the rocks?
This is free fall with initial speed zero under the acceleration of gravity [tex]g[/tex] We apply the equation [tex]v^2=v_0^2+2a*s[/tex] rewritten as [tex]v^2=2gh[/tex] From this we find the sspeed of the shell as [tex]v= \sqrt{2*9.81*14}=16.57 (m/s) [/tex]
