Answer
(a) The acceleration is $3.1\times 10^6~m/s^2$, which is $3.2\times 10^5g$
(b) This acceleration would last 1.6 ms.
(c) Because $3.2\times 10^5g$ is less than $4.5 \times 10^5 g$, we can not rule out the possibility that our ancestors were Martian microbes.
Work Step by Step
(a) We can calculate the acceleration.
$a = \frac{v^2-v_0^2}{2x} = \frac{(5000~m/s)^2-0}{(2)(4.0~m)} = 3.1\times 10^6~m/s^2$
The acceleration is $3.1\times 10^6~m/s^2$
$a = \frac{3.1\times 10^6~m/s^2}{9.80~m/s^2} = 3.2\times 10^5g$
(b) $t = \frac{v-v_0}{a} = \frac{5000~m/s-0}{3.1\times 10^6~m/s^2} = 0.0016~s = 1.6~ms$
This acceleration would last 1.6 ms
(c) Because $3.2\times 10^5g$ is less than $4.5 \times 10^5g$, we can not rule out the possibility that our ancestors were Martian microbes.
