Balloon and Ballast: Find Max Height of Dropped Ballast

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on the physics of a ballast dropped from a balloon ascending at 13 m/s from a height of 300 m. It is established that the ballast does not fall immediately upon release; instead, it continues to ascend for an additional 8.6 meters due to its initial upward velocity. Observers on the ground perceive the ballast as falling immediately, but this is a misunderstanding of the physics involved. The key takeaway is that the ballast retains its upward momentum until gravity decelerates it to a stop before it begins to fall.

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Homework Statement



A balloon is ascending at an speed of 13 m/s. At 300 m from the ground a ballast is drop from the balloon. Find the maximum height the ballast reach.

My doubt is: When the ballast is drop ¿it starts falling inmediately?. The solution of the problem implies that the ballast keep ascending for 8,6 m.

Thanks.
 
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carlitos_30 said:

Homework Statement



A balloon is ascending at an speed of 13 m/s. At 300 m from the ground a ballast is drop from the balloon. Find the maximum height the ballast reach.

My doubt is: When the ballast is drop ¿it starts falling inmediately?. The solution of the problem implies that the ballast keep ascending for 8,6 m.

Thanks.
While the balloon is ascending, everything in the balloon is ascending at the same velocity. It's no different if you pick up a rock and throw it straight up at 13 m/s.

It takes gravity a finite duration to arrest the upward motion and bring the velocity to zero, before things begin to fall back to the ground.
 
SteamKing said:
While the balloon is ascending, everything in the balloon is ascending at the same velocity. It's no different if you pick up a rock and throw it straight up at 13 m/s.

It takes gravity a finite duration to arrest the upward motion and bring the velocity to zero, before things begin to fall back to the ground.

An observer in the ground would see the ballast fall inmediately, I mean he wouldn't see the ballast ascending for 8,6 meters. That's what I imagine. What's wrong with my imagination?
 
What about a ball dropped from a car moving at 13 m/s?
If you're watching from the side of the road what speed will the ball be traveling as soon as it's dropped? Will it s stop where it lands? Or continue bouncing down the road?
 
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carlitos_30 said:
An observer in the ground would see the ballast fall inmediately, I mean he wouldn't see the ballast ascending for 8,6 meters. That's what I imagine. What's wrong with my imagination?
How do you know what someone else sees?

If you throw a rock straight up at 13 m/s, does the rock stop immediately once it leaves your hand and drop to the ground?

You can imagine many different things, some real, some impossible. We deal with science at PF, not your imagination.
 
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billy_joule said:
What about a ball dropped from a car moving at 13 m/s?
If you're watching from the side of the road what speed will the ball be traveling as soon as it's dropped? Will it s stop where it lands? Or continue bouncing down the road?
This is a great example. Thanks.
 
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SteamKing said:
How do you know what someone else sees?

If you throw a rock straight up at 13 m/s, does the rock stop immediately once it leaves your hand and drop to the ground?

You can imagine many different things, some real, some impossible. We deal with science at PF, not your imagination.

Sure not. The observer in the ground just can't note the ballast keep ascending because of the distance and he has no reference to compare the movement (the clouds are not good ones). An observer at the same level when the ballast is drop, would see the ballast ascending a little.
 

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