A baseball player throws a ball from left field toward home plate. Assume that you can neglect the effects of air resistance. At the instant the ball reaches its highest point, what is the direction of the ball's velocity?

A) up
B) down
C) horizontal
I think the answer is B

Well, I hate to burst your bubble, but the answer is actually C) horizontal. When the ball reaches its highest point, its vertical velocity is zero, but its horizontal velocity remains constant throughout the trajectory. So, while the ball may be feeling a little down about its lack of elevation, its velocity is still moving steadfastly in a horizontal direction. Keep your chin up, ball!

Actually, the correct answer is C) horizontal.

At the instant the ball reaches its highest point, its velocity in the vertical direction is momentarily zero because it has reached the peak of its trajectory. However, its velocity in the horizontal direction remains unchanged, as there are no external forces acting on it in that direction. Therefore, the direction of the ball's velocity at the highest point is horizontal.

To determine the direction of the ball's velocity at the instant it reaches its highest point, we need to understand the motion of a projectile.

When throwing a ball, it follows a curved path called a parabola. The velocity of the ball can be broken down into two components: horizontal and vertical.

The horizontal component of the ball's velocity remains constant throughout its flight because no external forces act on it horizontally. Hence, the direction of the ball's velocity is horizontal at the highest point.

However, the vertical component of the ball's velocity changes continuously due to the force of gravity. Initially, the ball is thrown upwards, so the vertical velocity decreases until it reaches zero at the highest point. After that, gravity pulls it downward, making the vertical velocity negative.

Based on these explanations, the correct answer to the question is C) horizontal.