Understanding the Concepts

* Free Fall: The curling iron is in free fall, meaning the only force acting on it is gravity.

* Acceleration due to Gravity: The acceleration due to gravity (g) is approximately 9.8 m/s². This means the iron's speed increases by 9.8 meters per second every second it falls.

* Kinematic Equation: We can use the following kinematic equation to find the final velocity (v) of the iron:

* v² = u² + 2as

* v = final velocity (what we want to find)

* u = initial velocity (0 m/s since the iron is dropped)

* a = acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²)

* s = distance (1.651 m)

Calculations

1. Plug in the values:

* v² = 0² + 2 (9.8 m/s²) (1.651 m)

2. Simplify:

* v² = 32.3676 m²/s²

3. Solve for v:

* v = √(32.3676 m²/s²)

* v ≈ 5.69 m/s

Answer

The curling iron was traveling at approximately 5.69 m/s when it hit the floor.