A glider airplane is coasting horizontally when a very heavy object suddenly falls out of it.
As a result of dropping this object, the glider's speed will
a. increase.
b. decrease.
c. remain the same as it was.
C. remain the same
The correct answer is b. decrease.
When the heavy object falls out of the glider, it reduces the overall weight of the glider. According to Newton's second law of motion, the force acting on an object is directly proportional to its mass. Therefore, with a decrease in mass, the force acting on the glider will be reduced.
In order to maintain equilibrium or balance, the glider's velocity (speed) will decrease because the reduced force can no longer counteract the drag and other resistive forces acting on the glider. This results in a decrease in the glider's speed.
To determine how dropping a heavy object from a glider will affect its speed, we need to understand the principle of conservation of momentum. According to this principle, in the absence of external forces, the total momentum of a system remains constant.
In this scenario, the glider and the heavy object make up the system. Before the object falls, both the glider and the object have a certain momentum. When the object falls, it gains a downward momentum while the glider experiences no change in its momentum. Since the falling object is a part of the system, its downward momentum must be balanced by an equal and opposite upward momentum for the glider to maintain a constant total momentum.
To achieve this balance, the glider must produce an upward force to counteract the downward force exerted by the falling object. This upward force causes the glider to increase its speed temporarily.
Therefore, the correct answer is:
a. increase.
By generating an upward force in response to the falling object, the glider's speed will momentarily increase.