A ball is thrown horizontally from a 45-meter cliff at 10 meters per second, and the goal is to calculate its direction just before impact. The time of flight is determined to be 3 seconds, resulting in a horizontal distance of 20 meters. The horizontal velocity remains constant at 10 m/s due to gravity acting only on the vertical component. To find the vertical velocity just before impact, a kinematic equation can be applied, specifically v² = u² + 2as, where 'a' is acceleration, 'u' is initial velocity, and 's' is distance. Using trigonometry with the horizontal and vertical components will yield the angle of impact with the horizontal surface.
