Wei created an animation where a ball is thrown straight up in the air. What force acts upon the ball to make it slow down as it reaches its highest point and then change direction before falling back to Earth?
Question 7 options:
mass
inertia
momentum
gravity
gravity
The force that acts upon the ball to make it slow down as it reaches its highest point and then change direction before falling back to Earth is gravity.
The force that acts upon the ball to make it slow down as it reaches its highest point and then change direction before falling back to Earth is gravity.
To understand why gravity is the force responsible for these motions, we need to consider a few basic principles of physics. Gravity is a fundamental force that exists between any two objects with mass. It is a force that pulls objects towards each other. In this case, the ball and the Earth are the objects involved.
As the ball is thrown straight up in the air, it goes against the force of gravity. Initially, the ball has an upward motion due to the force applied to it when it was thrown. However, gravity is still pulling the ball downward. As the ball moves upward, gravity slows it down, acting in the opposite direction of its motion, eventually bringing it to a stop at the highest point.
At this highest point, the ball's velocity is zero. Now, gravity starts to pull the ball downward, causing it to change direction and accelerate towards the Earth. The force of gravity increases the ball's velocity as it falls back down, causing it to gain momentum.
Therefore, the answer to the question is gravity.