Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2008/iii/paper-84/6/d/solution

If , the front enters the lower-opening branch before reaching the floor. Near ,
The final approach is exponential and the time integral in part (c) diverges logarithmically. Thus no finite floor-arrival time exists. If the opening is at , the first branch applies until arrival and has a finite nonzero downward speed at the floor. The arrival time is
Hence finite-time floor arrival occurs only for a floor opening, within the stated finite-source model. In the point-source limit , and this arrival time diverges, recovering part (b).

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