if a ball thrown straight up how does the distance ( h) it rises vary with its initial speed

See the Related Questions below.

potential energy at top = kinetic energy at bottom

m g h = (1/2) m v^2
h = v^2/(2 g)

When a ball is thrown straight up into the air, its distance of ascent, or how high it rises, depends on its initial speed. The higher the initial speed, the higher the ball will rise. To understand how the distance it rises varies with its initial speed, we need to analyze the effects of gravity and the ball's initial velocity.

Gravity pulls the ball back down towards the ground, causing its velocity to decrease as it rises. Eventually, the ball reaches its highest point, where its velocity becomes zero. At this point, the ball starts to descend, accelerating due to the force of gravity. The time it takes for the ball to reach its highest point and come back down depends on its initial speed.

To calculate the distance the ball rises, we can use the equations of motion. The key equation to use here is:

h = (v₀²) / (2g)

where:
h is the distance the ball rises,
v₀ is the initial velocity of the ball, and
g is the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.8 m/s² on Earth).

From this equation, we can see that the distance the ball rises is directly proportional to the square of the initial velocity. This means that if you double the initial speed, the distance it rises will quadruple (increase by a factor of four). Similarly, if you triple the initial speed, the distance it rises will increase by a factor of nine.

In summary, as the initial speed of the ball thrown straight up increases, the distance it rises also increases. The relationship is quadratic, so doubling or tripling the initial speed will have a more significant impact on the distance it rises.