In: Physics
Leaping insects, revisited. Our good friend the froghopper (Philaenus spumarius), the champion leaper of the insect world, has a typical mass of mm = 13.6 mg. It can leave the ground with speeds as high as 4.0 m/s. Let’s assume that in this case a froghopper jumps directly upwards with a speed of 3.01 m/s as it leaves the ground, and that the jumping phase itself lasts a mere 0.89 ms before the insect is clear of the ground.
a) Assuming constant acceleration, find the force that the ground exerts on the froghopper during its jump (The answer is 0.046)
b) Find the ratio of the force from the previous part to the weight of the froghopper. This number gives an indication of “strength for its size”; a value of 10 would indicate that the froghopper can output a force equal to 10 times its weight. If a 75 kg person were able to apply the same ratio of force to weight, how many 1450 kg cars could he or she lift?
Ratio of the force to weight = _________
Number of cars = 17.889