Answer:
The vertical component of the velocity is zero.
Step-by-step explanation:
The motion of the basketball is the motion of a projectile, which consists of two independent motions:
- A uniform motion along the horizontal direction, with constant horizontal velocity
- An uniformly accelerated motion along the vertical direction, with downward constant acceleration g = 9.8 m/s^2
As a result, we have:
- The horizontal component of the velocity does not change throughout the motion, so it is always the same, even at the highest point of the trajectory (therefore it is not zero)
- The vertical component of the velocity decreases at first, then at the highest point of the trajector becomes zero, then changes direction (downward) and starts increasing again in magnitude
So, the correct option is
The vertical component of the velocity is zero.