Ok, this problem is pretty straightforward and I will do my best to keep the exp

lanation simple and concise. If you have any followup questions don't be afraid
to peg them my way. Now to the answer.
The principle at work here is conservation of angular momentum. In the initial s
tate, the ball has a certain amount of angular momentum. As the string pulls the
ball, it is pulling it in a direction perpendicular to the ball's motion. This
means that the string pulling the ball does not change the angular momentum of t
he ball. As such, we know angular momentum is conserved (nothing is changing it
throughout the problem.)
just to differentiate:
v_t is tangential velocity
v_n is normal velocity (v_n is the speed the string pulls on the ball)
Here are the equations we will use:
I=m*r^2
omega=v_t/r (v_t is tangential velocity)
L=I*omega (L is angular momentum)
At any point in time, L is constant
Simplifying, we get:
L=I*omega=m*r^2*v_t/r=m*v_t*r
Conservation of momentum:
L1=L2
m1*v1_t*r1=m2*v2_t*r2
m1=m2 (mass doesn't change)
v1_t*r1=v2_t*r2
v2_t=v1_t*r1/r2
*We know the initial velocity and radius, v1_t and r1, so now we know the tangen
tial velocity at any radius. Also, v_n is the constant speed at which the string
is pulling on the ball.
Now for looking at the speed:
speed=sqrt(v_t^2+v_n^2)
speed=sqrt(v1_t^2*r1^2/ri^2+v_n^2)
Now we just have to solve for ri and we have the distance as a function of the s
peed and initial conditions.
v1_t^2*r1^2/ri^2=speed^2-v_n^2
ri=sqrt(v1_t^2*r1^2/(speed^2-v_n^2))
Now we just plug in the given values and get our answer:
ri=1.5213 ft
How long it takes to reach that speed is the next step
Since we know the starting radius (3 ft) and the ending radius (1.5213 ft), and
the radial velocity of the ball (2 ft/s), we know how long it took the ball to r
each this point.
t=(3-1.5213)/2=.7393 s

This should be all correct and a good description of how I got there. If you hav
e any questions I can explain them in a lesson.
Have a good day.