Meaning of a phrase in a kinematics problem

[Fabrizio Vassallo]

1. Problem statement:

"An object is thrown horizontally with an initial speed of 10 m/s. How far will it drop in 4 seconds?"

Homework Equations

Δx = v_0x.t
Δy = v_0y.t + 1/2(-g)t²

The Attempt at a Solution

[/B]
When I first read it, I thought that 'how far' means Δx, since when someone says 'how far did you throw the ball' you would usually answer something like 'I threw it like 10 yards', and that is referring to Δx. However, the Princeton book says that when asked 'how far' it means Δy instead, so I would like to know if anyone here has a way to explain me what I am not understanding, or, if it corresponds, clarify that the book whether the book is wrong.
For more context, I'm preparing for the SAT Subject Test in Physics. I'm from Argentina, so I do not speak English as my main language, and this might be why I'm confused. The book I refer to is the Princeton Review's 'Cracking the SAT Subject Test in Physics' one (16th edition).

Thank you in advance to anyone who replies!

 

[hilbert2]

The object will drop just as much as it would when dropped without any initial velocity in the x-direction. The $v_{0y} = 0$ here, because it's said that the object is thrown horizontally. Note that the problem assumes that air resistance is negligible.

 

[gneill]

"How far" is ambiguous in a physics problem statement. That's why you should always find it qualified. In this instance the qualifier is "will it drop". So "how far will it drop" should be interpreted as a vertical displacement.

 

[gneill]

The object will drop just as much as it would when dropped without any initial velocity in the x-direction. The $v_{0y} = 0$ here, because it's said that the object is thrown horizontally. Note that the problem assumes that air resistance is negligible.

The OP is not asking how to solve the problem, he is asking about the interpretation of the problem statement (language use).

 

[Fabrizio Vassallo]

The object will drop just as much as it would when dropped without any initial velocity in the x-direction. The $v_{0y} = 0$ here, because it's said that the object is thrown horizontally. Note that the problem assumes that air resistance is negligible.

Thank you for your answer. Thankfully, I was able to understand how to solve these kind of problems. My only issue was about what the problem was asking me to figure out.

"How far" is ambiguous in a physics problem statement. That's why you should always find it qualified. In this instance the qualifier is "will it drop". So "how far will it drop" should be interpreted as a vertical displacement.

Thank you, seriously! From now on, I will only pay attention to what it says after 'how far' to interpret what the statement is asking me to do, since the use of this phrase sounds kind of tricky to me!

 

[George Jones]

"How far will it drop in 4 seconds?"

The key word is "drop". In this context, this almost always means "fall vertically downwards."

Edit: didn't notice @gneill's previous response.​

 

[Fabrizio Vassallo]

The key word is "drop". In this context, this almost always means "fall vertically downwards."​

Thank you very much for your answer. From now on, I will try to look for the qualifier, as the previous comment said, because the 'how far' sounds a little bit tricky to me so far!