Problem 14.

46 A 200-lb bungee jumper jumps from

a bridge 130 ft above a river. The bungee cord has an
unstretched length of 60 ft and has a spring constant
k = 14 lb/ft. (a) How far above the river is the when
the cord brings him to a stop? (b) What maximum force
does the cord exert on him?

Solution: Choose a coordinate system with s positive downward.

Divide the fall into two parts: (1) the free fall until the bungee
unstretched length is reached, (2) the fall to the full extension of the
ds
bungee cord. For Part (1): From Newton’s second law = g. Use
dt
dv
the chain rule to write: v = g. Separate variables and integrate:
ds

v 2 (s) = 2 gs, since v(0) = 0. At s = 60 ft, v(s = 60) = 2 gs =
62.1 ft/s. For Part (2):
From Newton’s second law
 
W dv
W −T = , where T = k(s − 60).
g dt

Use the chain rule to write:

  T
dv gk k
v =g− (s − 60) = g 1 − (s − 60) (s ≥ 60 ft).
ds W W

Separate variables and integrate:

 
k
v 2 (s) = 2 gs 1 − (s − 120) + C. At s = 60,
2W W

v 2 (s = 60) = [2 gs]s=60 = 120 g,

gk
from which C = − (602 ) = −8106.8. The velocity is
W
 
gk 2 60 k gk
v 2 (s) = − s + 2g 1 + s− (602 ).
W W W

When the jumper is brought to a stop,v(sstop ) = 0, from which s 2 +

W
2bs + c = 0, where b = − + 60 , and c = 602 . The solution:
k
√
sstop = −b ± b2 − c = 118.08, = 30.49 ft.

(a) The first value represents the maximum distance on the first
excursion, from which

h = 130 − 118.1 = 11.92 ft

is the height above the river at which he comes to a stop. (b) The
maximum force exerted by the bungee cord is

F = k(s − 60) = 14(118.1 − 60) = 813 lb