Question

A player kicks a soccer ball in a high arc toward the opponent's goal. when the soccer ball reaches its maximum height, how does its speed at this point compare to its initial speed? assume air resistance is negligible.

Answer 1

When the player kicks the ball, he certainly must have done so at an angle to the horizontal and that is why the motion of the ball describes an arc or a parabolic path. The consequence of this is that the speed with which the ball was kicked will have two components namely; the vertical component and the horizontal component.

In absence of air resistance, the horizontal component of the speed remains constant throughout the motion of the ball, but the vertical component reduces as the ball rises higher because of the effect of acceleration due to gravity.

At the maximum height, the vertical component of the speed is zero, only the horizontal component remains.

Answer 2

For the answer to the question above, The initial velocity has both a horizontal and vertical component. At its maximum height, the vertical component becomes 0 and the speed consists of only the horizontal component, so the speed is at its minimum (less than initial speed).