Q: Pilot in a Plane - Which Ball Hits Ground First?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Minibyte
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Plane
AI Thread Summary
When a ball is dropped and another is thrown down simultaneously, the thrown ball will reach the ground first due to its initial velocity. The discussion highlights that the time taken for each ball to hit the ground can be calculated using the equation h - vt - 0.5gt² = 0, where h is the height, v is the initial speed, and g is the gravitational constant. Assuming no air resistance and that both balls are released from the same height, the thrown ball's initial speed gives it an advantage. The lack of specific details in the question leads to a general conclusion that the thrown ball will arrive first. Overall, the physics of motion confirms that initial velocity plays a crucial role in determining the time of descent.
Minibyte
Messages
11
Reaction score
0
If one ball is dropped and another is thrown down, which will arrive at the ground first?

Won't they get there at the same time?

Thanks

MB
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Your question is vague. Are the balls dropped and thrown at the same time? Assuming they are the down thrown will arrive first. You need to solve for t in the equation:
h-vt-.5gt2=0, where h is the initial height, v is the initial speed, and g is the gravitational constant. Air resistance is neglected - however, if both balls are the same the net effect will be the same on both.

For the dropped ball v=0 while the thrown ball starts with v>0, so t will be less.
 
Yes, dropped and thrown at the same time. No other information provided. No velocity, speed, just that vague question.
 
comparing a flat solar panel of area 2π r² and a hemisphere of the same area, the hemispherical solar panel would only occupy the area π r² of while the flat panel would occupy an entire 2π r² of land. wouldn't the hemispherical version have the same area of panel exposed to the sun, occupy less land space and can therefore increase the number of panels one land can have fitted? this would increase the power output proportionally as well. when I searched it up I wasn't satisfied with...
Back
Top