A cat chases a mouse across a 1.2 m high table. The mouse steps out of the way, and the cat slides off the table and strikes the floor 1.3 m from the edge of the table.
The cat has two directions of motions: The horizontal motion = Dx = 2.2 m The vertical motion = Dy = -1.3 m (negative sign indicates that the cat is falling) a = 9.8 m/sec^2 Vy = zero (since you are not moving up)
From the laws of motion: Dy = Vyt + 0.5ayt^2 -1.3 = 0(t) + 0.5(-9.8)t^2 t = 0.52s
Then, again using the laws of motion (but for the horizontal direction this time) Dx = Vxt 2.2 = Vx0.52 Vx = 2.2/0.52 = 4.23 m/s
Therefore the cat's speed when it slid off the table is 4.23 m/s horizontally.
