How Do You Calculate the Horizontal Component and Flight Time of a Baseball?

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves calculating the horizontal component of a baseball's velocity and the time it remains in the air after being thrown at a specific speed and angle. The subject area pertains to projectile motion in physics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • The original poster expresses confusion about how to begin the problem and the concept of a horizontal component. Some participants suggest visualizing the motion through diagrams and recalling vector components. Others inquire about examples to clarify the concepts further.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants seeking clarification and examples. Some guidance has been offered regarding the use of diagrams and the concept of vectors, but there is no explicit consensus on a clear path forward.

Contextual Notes

The original poster indicates a lack of understanding of basic concepts related to the problem, which may be affecting their ability to engage with the material. There is also mention of previous searches for information that did not yield helpful results.

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A second baseman tosses the ball to the first baseman, who catches it at the same level from which it was thrown. The throw is made with an initial speed of 21.0 m/s at an angle of 35.0° above the horizontal. (Neglect air resistance.)
(a) What is the horizontal component of the ball's velocity just before it is caught?
m/s
(b) How long is the ball in the air?
s

I am completely lost how to start this problem, I do not even know what a horizontal component is! Any help is appreciated. Can someone please tell me how to start this?
 
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Recall what you have learned about vectors. Motion in two dimensions has two components. I suggest drawing a picture of the motion of the ball; it may help you see the relationship between the forces acting on it and its path through space.
 
You can use the search button with the words 'projectile motion', and you'll find lots of useful threads.
 
Im still so confused!
 
Can someone please give me an example? Searching for projectile motion hasnt helped very much at all
 
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Bumped for knowledge!
 

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