A train is moving with a speed of 50 miles per hour. A man standing in the rear of a train car throws a ball toward the front of the train with a speed of 10 miles per hour. If a stationary observer outside the train sees this happen, what speed is the ball moving with? Explain your answer.
relative motion=10
absolute motin=50+10 mph
To determine the speed of the ball as observed by a stationary observer outside the train, we need to consider the relative velocities involved.
First, let's establish a reference frame. Let's assume that the train is moving to the right, and the observer is stationary.
The speed of the train is given as 50 miles per hour, which means it is moving at a constant velocity of 50 miles per hour to the right. We can represent this velocity as +50 mph in our reference frame.
The man throws the ball in the same direction as the train, with a speed of 10 miles per hour. Since the observer is stationary, they perceive the man's throw to be occurring at the same speed, +10 mph.
To determine the speed of the ball as observed by the stationary observer, we need to add the velocities of the ball and the train. In this case, the ball's velocity (+10 mph) is added to the train's velocity (+50 mph) since they are moving in the same direction.
Therefore, the speed of the ball as observed by the stationary observer is +60 miles per hour.