If a flea can jump straight up to a height of 0.550 m, what is its initial speed as it leaves the ground?

Let u = upward initial speed of the flea.

At the maximum height of h = 0.550 m, the vertical velocity is v = 0.

Therefore, from the formula

v² = u² - 2gh,

obtain

0 = u² - 2 * (9.8 m/s²) * (0.55 m)

u² = 10.78 m²/s²

u = 3.283 m/s

Answer: The initial upward speed is 3.28 m/s (nearest thousandth)