he drawing shows a steel ball rolling along a flat surface at constant velocity from point A to point B. A magnet exerts an attractive force on the ball only for the short time that passes as the ball rolls past point B. Which one of the following trajectories does the ball follow beyond point B and why?

The ball is slightly deflected toward the magnet, and it follows path 2.

The magnet has no affect on the steel ball, so it follows path 3.

The ball is slightly deflected away from the magnet, and it follows path 4.

The ball follows the nearly circular path, 5, because a repulsive force continues to act on it.

The ball follows the nearly circular path, 1, because an attractive force continues to act on it.

To determine which trajectory the ball will follow beyond point B, we need to understand the forces acting on the ball.

From the given information, we know that there is an attractive force exerted by the magnet on the ball only for a short time as the ball rolls past point B. This means that beyond point B, there is no longer any force acting on the ball from the magnet.

If a force is not acting on the ball, it will continue to move in a straight line with constant velocity due to its inertia. Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion.

Therefore, the correct trajectory for the ball beyond point B is path 3, where the ball follows a straight line with no deflection. The magnet has no effect on the steel ball, so there is no change in its path.

In summary, the ball follows path 3 because there is no force acting on it from the magnet beyond point B.