A stone was dropped from the top of a tall cliff - Junior Cycle Science - Question c - 2009

To calculate the acceleration from the graph, we take the change in velocity over the change in time. From the graph, at 5 seconds, the velocity is approximately 50 m/s, and at 0 seconds, it is 0 m/s. Thus, the acceleration can be calculated as: $ext{Acceleration} = \frac{50 - 0}{5 - 0} = \frac{50}{5} = 10 \, \text{m/s}^2$

The force acting on the stone during its fall is gravity.

The weight of the stone can be calculated using the formula: weight = mass × gravitational acceleration. Assuming a standard gravitational acceleration of approximately $9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2$, the weight can be stated as:

$\text{Weight} = \text{mass} \times g = 20 \, \text{kg} \times 9.8 \, \text{m/s}^2 = 196 \, \text{N}$