You are on an elevator that is plummeting toward the ground at 30 m/s and you jump up right before it hits the ground. you jump upward with a velocity of 5 m/s. at what speed do you hit the ground?

Elevator speed = 30 m/s my jump speed = 5 m/s Since the Elevator and Jumping action are of opposite direction, the speed should be subtracted to arrive at the right speed. Actual speed = (Elevator speed - My Jump Speed) = ( 30 - 5 ) m/s = 25 m/s So at the speed of 25 m/s I would hit the ground.