Question

A ball is thrown forward at 5 m/s how would the path of the ball differ on earth than on the moon

Answer 1

The ball on the moon would have a more straight path than on the Earth, and it would have a longer range

Step-by-step explanation:

In both cases, the motion of the ball is the motion of a projectile, which has a parabolic trajectory. In fact, the path is the resultant of two indipendent motions:

- A horizontal uniform motion, with constant horizontal velocity 5 m/s

- An accelerated vertical motion, with constant acceleration downward equal to the gravitational acceleration of the planet

On the Moon, the value of the gravitational acceleration is about 1/6 that of the Earth. This means that the downward acceleration of the ball on the Moon is smaller than on the Earth: so, the ball will take more time to reach the ground on the Moon, and so it will have a longer range, and a more straight trajectory.

Answer 2

In this problem, we are given that a ball is thrown upward and that it has an initial velocity of 5 m/s. Its path both on Earth and on the moon will be trajectory in nature. This is because while its horizontal velocity is maintained, its vertical velocity increases.