Certain insects can achieve seemingly impossible accelerations while jumping. The click beetle accelerates at

Certain insects can achieve seemingly impossible accelerations while jumping. The click beetle accelerates at an astonishing 400 over a distance of 0.60 as it rapidly bends its thorax, making the "click" that gives it its name.


Assuming the beetle jumps straight up, at what speed does it leave the ground?
How much time is required for the beetle to reach this speed?
Ignoring air resistance, how high would it go?

you need to provide units; 400 m/s/s ? 0.6m?

I will presume you mean MKS, but remember always to include units in any scientific calculations.

find the final velocity from

vf^2=v0^2+2ad

vf=final speed
v0=initial speed=0
a=acceleration = 400m/s/s
d=distance traveled during acceleration=0.6m

then vf^2=2*400m/s/s*0.6m
vf=22m/s

use the same equation to find the max height, but now vf=0 (since vertical velocity is zero at the apex), v0=22 m/s and g=-9.8m/s/s (accel due to grav)

0=22^2-2*9.8m/s/s*H

solve for max ht, H

if the beetle went from 0 to 22m/s at a rate of 400m/s/s, the use the basic definition of acceleration:

a=(vf-v0)/t to find that t=(vf-v0)/a = 22m/s / 400m/s/s