A chinook salmon has a maximum underwater speed of 3.58 m/s, but it can jump out of water with a speed of 6.26 m/s. To move upstream past a waterfall, the salmon does not need to jump to the top of the fall, but only to a point in the fall where the water speed is less than 3.58 m/s; it can then swim up the fall for the remaining distance. Because the salmon must make forward progress in the water, let's assume it can swim to the top if the water speed is 3.00 m/s.
(a) If water has a speed of 1.89 m/s as it passes over a ledge, how far below the ledge will the water be moving with a speed of

Question

A chinook salmon has a maximum underwater speed of 3.58 m/s, but it can jump out of water with a speed of 6.26 m/s. To move upstream past a waterfall, the salmon does not need to jump to the top of the fall, but only to a point in the fall where the water speed is less than 3.58 m/s; it can then swim up the fall for the remaining distance. Because the salmon must make forward progress in the water, let's assume it can swim to the top if the water speed is 3.00 m/s.
(a) If water has a speed of 1.89 m/s as it passes over a ledge, how far below the ledge will the water be moving with a speed of

anonymous · Answer

(b) If the salmon is able to jump vertically upward from the base of the fall, what is the maximum height of waterfall that the salmon can clear?

michele_laino · Answer

part (b)
we can use the conservation of mechanical energy, inside the gravitational field, close to the earth surface:
$$mgh = \frac{{m{v^2}}}{2}$$
from which, we get:
$$h = \frac{{{v^2}}}{{2g}}$$

michele_laino · Answer

where $v=6.26\; m/sec$