Assignment:
To protect his food from hungry bears, a boy scout raises his food pack with a rope that is thrown over a tree limb at height h above his hands. He walks away from the vertical rope with a constant velocity, vboy, holding the free end of the rope in his hands.
a) Show that the speed v of the food pack is given by x(x^2+h^2)^(-1/2) vboy where x is the distance he has walked away from the vertical rope.
b) Show that the acceleration a to the food pack is h^2(x^2+h^2)^(-3/2)v^2boy.
c) What values do the acceleration a and velocity v have shortly after he leaves the point under the pack (x=0)?
d) What values do the pack's velocity and acceleration approach as the distance x continues to increase?