At the instant a ball is thrown horizontally with a large force, an identical ball is dropped from the same height. Which ball hits the ground first?
Question 11 options:
The dropped ball.
Neither. They both hit at the same time.
The horizontally thrown ball.
The horizontally thrown ball and the dropped ball will hit the ground at the same time. The horizontal force has no effect on the vertical motion of the ball. Both balls experience the same force due to gravity, causing them to accelerate downward at the same rate. Therefore, the answer is: Neither. They both hit the ground at the same time.
The answer is "The dropped ball." When a ball is dropped from a certain height, it immediately begins to fall vertically due to the force of gravity acting on it. On the other hand, when a ball is thrown horizontally, it also experiences the force of gravity but at the same time, it also has an initial velocity in the horizontal direction. This horizontal velocity does not affect the time it takes for the ball to fall vertically. Both balls experience the same gravitational force and therefore fall at the same rate. Since the dropped ball does not have any initial horizontal velocity to slow it down, it hits the ground first.
To determine which ball hits the ground first, we need to consider the effect of gravity on both balls.
In this scenario, both balls are dropped from the same height. When an object is dropped, it accelerates downward due to the force of gravity. This acceleration is constant and equal to about 9.8 meters per second squared (9.8 m/s²) near the surface of the Earth.
The horizontally thrown ball, on the other hand, has an initial horizontal velocity but no initial vertical velocity. This means it only experiences the force of gravity downwards, and its horizontal velocity remains constant.
Since the horizontally thrown ball has an initial horizontal velocity, its motion is a combination of both horizontal and vertical components. However, the vertical motion is the same as that of the dropped ball, as both experience the same gravitational force acting on them.
Therefore, the horizontal velocity of the thrown ball does not affect the time it takes for it to fall vertically and hit the ground. Both balls will fall with the same acceleration due to gravity and will reach the ground at the same time.
So, the correct answer is: Neither. They both hit the ground at the same time.