Understanding horizontal and vertical components of a falling object

[science_rules]

I want to understand this: In the case of a dropped object, the horizontal component of the velocity with which the object hits the ground is not the same thing as the horizontal velocity itself, am i right? The horizontal component of the velocity when the object hits the ground means the horizontal component of the initial velocity?
Say an object is dropped from a plane at a certain speed(horizontal velocity), air resistance is negligable. The horizontal component of the velocity with which the object hits the ground would be zero because air resistance is negligable?

 

[jdlinke]

Assuming air resistance is negligible, the horizontal component of initial velocity and of final velocity are equal, but they are not equal to zero (unless the object has been dropped straight downward along the y-axis, in which case there is no horizontal component). So when the object hits the ground, the magnitude of its velocity in the horizontal direction is exactly the same as the magnitude of its velocity in the horizontal direction at the moment is was released/launched.

The horizontal ACCELERATION is zero, though, because no force is acting upon the object in the horizontal direction.

Keep in mind that in the sort of situation you're talking about, the horizontal component is completely separate from the vertical component. One has nothing to do with th other, unless you're combining them to look at the complete trajectory of the object.

 

[astrokreng]

Yes, you are correct. The horizontal component of the velocity when the object hits the ground is not the same as the horizontal velocity itself. The horizontal component of the velocity refers to the part of the velocity that is in the horizontal direction, while the horizontal velocity itself is the total velocity in the horizontal direction.

In the case of a dropped object, the initial horizontal velocity is usually zero, as the object is typically dropped vertically. Therefore, the horizontal component of the velocity when the object hits the ground would also be zero, assuming negligible air resistance. This is because the only force acting on the object is gravity, which causes it to accelerate vertically towards the ground, and not horizontally.

However, if there is a non-zero initial horizontal velocity, then the horizontal component of the velocity when the object hits the ground would also be non-zero. This is because the object would have a horizontal motion in addition to its vertical motion due to gravity.

It is important to understand the difference between the horizontal component of velocity and the total horizontal velocity in order to accurately predict the motion of a falling object. Neglecting the horizontal component can lead to incorrect calculations and predictions.