A stone is thrown from the top of a cliff with speed v at an angle above the horizontal. Air resistance is negligible, and the acceleration of free fall is g.The horizontal velocity of the stone as time t after the stone has been thrown is v*cos(theta). Explain why
The horizontal velocity of the stone is given by v * cos(theta) because the horizontal component of the stone's initial velocity, v, is v * cos(theta).
When the stone is thrown, its velocity has two components: horizontal and vertical. The horizontal component represents the stone's motion along the x-axis, and the vertical component represents the stone's motion along the y-axis.
The horizontal component of the stone's velocity, v * cos(theta), remains constant throughout the stone's motion. This is because there is no force acting horizontally on the stone; there is no acceleration in the x-direction.
In the absence of air resistance, the stone's horizontal velocity does not change regardless of the time t after the stone has been thrown. Therefore, the horizontal velocity remains v * cos(theta) for the entire duration of the stone's motion.