Question

On May 20, 1999, 37-year old Robbie Knievel, son of famed daredevil Evel Knievel, successfully jumped 69.5 m over a Grand Canyon gorge. Assuming that he started and landed at the same level and was airborne for 3.66 s, what height from his starting point did this daredevil achieve?

Answer 1

Because 3.66 s is the time for the entire travel through the air, Robbie spent half of this time reaching the height of the jump. The motorcycle took 1.83 s to go up, and another 1.83 s to come down. To find the height the motorcycle achieved, look only at its downward motion as measured from the highest point.