Firing at a tree

Question

A bullet is fired horizontally from a gun that is 1.5m from the ground. The bullet travels at 1000m s^-1 and strikes a tree 150m away. How far up the tree from the ground does the bullet hit? (Neglect air resistance)

Answer 1

if the tree is 150 meters away and the bullet is moving at 1000 m/sec, then it will take

150 m/(1000 m/sec) = .15 seconds. This is the horizontal component.

If a = acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/sec²) and t = time in seconds

Then the vertical distance drop is d = (1/2)at² or (1/2)(9.8)(.15)² = .11 meters (Distance the bullet drops)

Therefore, the distance above the ground would be 1.5 - .11 = 1.39 meters

Each component can be calculated seperately.