The divers are in free fall, and they cover a distance of [tex]S=17.2 m[/tex] in a uniformly accelerated motion, with an acceleration equal to [tex]g=9.81 m/s^2[/tex] (gravitational acceleration). We can find their final velocity vf just before hitting the water using the following relationship
[tex]2aS = v_f^2 -v_i^2[/tex]
where [tex]v_i=0[/tex] is their initial velocity, which is zero because the divers start from rest. Therefore, substituting the numbers we can find vf:
[tex]v_f = \sqrt{2aS}= \sqrt{2\cdot 9.81 m/s^2 \cdot 17.2 m}=18.4 m/s [/tex]
