Question

A ball is tossed upward. Neglecting air drag, the acceleration along its path is

A) 0 g.
B) g downward.
C) g upward.
D) g upward, then g downward.
E) none of the above

Answer 1

B) g downward

Step-by-step explanation:

There is only one force acting on the ball during its entire motion: the force of gravity, which pulls the ball downwards. The magnitude of the force of gravity is

`F=mg`

where m is the mass of the ball and g is the acceleration due to gravity. Using Newton's second law, F = ma, we can find the acceleration of the ball as:

`a=(F)/(m)=(mg)/(m)=g`

so, the acceleration of the ball is g, and it is downward (as the force of gravity).