Another one that's been troubling me

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on a physics problem involving projectile motion, where a student throws a ball at an angle of 60 degrees while traveling at a speed of 10.0 m/s. The student calculates the vertical component of the ball's velocity as 8.66 m/s and applies the formula for maximum height, dyMax = (Vi^2) / (2g), resulting in a height of 3.822 meters. However, the calculation is questioned due to the inclusion of horizontal velocity components, which are irrelevant for determining the maximum height of the projectile. The correct approach focuses solely on the vertical motion.

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Homework Statement


A student is riding on a flatcar of a train traveling along a straight horizontal track at a constant speed of 10.0 m/s. The student throws a ball along a path that she judges to make an initial angle of 60 degrees with the horizontal and to be in line with the track. The student's professor, who is standing on the ground nearby, observes the ball to rise vertically. How high does the ball rise?


Homework Equations


These are what I'm pretty sure are necessary:

dyMax = maximum height of y
Vi = initial velocity
g = gravity

dyMax = (Vi^2) / (2g)

The Attempt at a Solution



Vx = 10cos60 = 5 m/s
Vy = 10sin60 = 8.66 m/s

gx = 0
gy = 9.81

dyMax = (8.66^2) / (2 * 9.81)

I got 3.822 meters as the answer, although I'm pretty sure that's wrong. Any ideas? Thanks.
 
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Why do you think it's wrong? And why do you list Vx and gx?
 

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