A ball is thrown vertically upward into the air. Which of the following acceleration-time graph represents the ball's motion? Assume down is positive.
The correct acceleration-time graph for the ball's motion when thrown vertically upward into the air is Option A.
In this graph, the acceleration is initially positive as the ball is moving upwards against the force of gravity. As it reaches its peak height, the acceleration becomes zero since the ball momentarily stops moving before starting to fall back downwards. As the ball falls back downwards, the acceleration becomes negative as gravity pulls it downwards. Option A accurately illustrates this change in acceleration from positive to zero to negative.
To determine the correct acceleration-time graph for a ball thrown vertically upward into the air, we need to consider the acceleration of the ball at different points in its motion.
First, when the ball is thrown upward, it experiences a negative acceleration due to the force of gravity acting against its motion. Gravity pulls the ball downwards, opposing its upward motion. Therefore, the acceleration at this stage is negative.
As the ball reaches its highest point and starts to fall back down, the acceleration changes direction. It transitions from negative to positive as gravity now accelerates the ball in the downward direction.
Based on this information, the correct acceleration-time graph for the ball's motion would look like Option B: a negative acceleration at the start (representing the upward phase), followed by a positive acceleration (representing the downward phase).
Please keep in mind that the actual values and shape of the graph may vary depending on the specific situation or how the data is represented in the options provided.