A shoe in the shirt are released from the same height. They take different amounts of time to fall to the ground. How can this be explained?
A. The difference in weight doesn’t affect the time, but they aren’t affected differently by air resistance
B. The masses of the two objects are the same, but they are affected differently by air resistance
C. The weight is greater on the shoe than on the shirt, but there is an equal air resistance on the objects
D. The weight is equal on the two objects, but there is more air resistance on the shoe
D. The weight is equal on the two objects, but there is more air resistance on the shoe
The correct answer is B. The masses of the two objects are the same, but they are affected differently by air resistance.
Explanation: When objects fall, their time to reach the ground depends on their mass and the effects of air resistance. In this scenario, since both the shoe and the shirt are released from the same height, their weight (which is proportional to mass) is likely to be the same. However, due to differences in shape and surface area, the shoe would experience more air resistance compared to the shirt. This increased air resistance on the shoe slows down its descent, causing it to take a longer time to reach the ground compared to the shirt.
The correct answer is D. The weight is equal on the two objects, but there is more air resistance on the shoe.
To understand why the shoe and the shirt take different amounts of time to fall to the ground, it is important to consider the forces acting on them. When an object is falling, two main forces are at play: gravity, which pulls the object towards the center of the Earth, and air resistance, which acts in the opposite direction of the object's motion.
In this scenario, let's assume that the shoe and the shirt are released from the same height, meaning they initially have the same potential energy. Since both objects are experiencing the same gravitational force due to their equal weights, gravity is not the deciding factor here.
The key difference between the two objects is the air resistance they experience. Air resistance depends on the shape, size, and surface area of an object. In this case, the shoe, being a compact and relatively dense object, will experience more air resistance compared to the shirt, which has a larger surface area.
The presence of greater air resistance on the shoe means that it encounters a greater opposing force as it falls. This additional force slows down the shoe's descent, resulting in a longer time to reach the ground compared to the shirt.
To determine why the time taken by the shoe and shirt to fall is different, we need to consider the role of air resistance. Specifically, the shoe experiences more air resistance due to its shape and compactness, which slows down its descent and causes it to take longer to reach the ground. So, option D correctly explains this phenomenon.