Question

Assume that the plane was flying at a lower height from the ground. Would the time for the bomb to strike the ground be greater than, less than, or the same as when the plane was flying at the original height of 1200 m? Explain your reasoning.

Answer 1

The time for a bomb to strike the ground would be less if the plane were flying at a lower height because the bomb would have a shorter distance to travel, resulting in a shorter descent time.

Step-by-step explanation:

If an airplane were flying at a lower height than the original height of 1200 m and dropped a bomb, the time for the bomb to strike the ground would be less than the time it would take from the higher altitude. This is because, assuming no air resistance, the bomb would have a shorter distance to travel to the ground from a lower altitude, resulting in a shorter descent time. The time it takes an object to fall is directly related to the distance it falls. In a vacuum where the only force acting on the falling object is gravity, the time taken (t) to fall a certain distance (d) is given by the formula derived from the equation of motion d = (1/2)gt2, where g is the acceleration due to gravity. Solving for t, we get that the time is proportional to the square root of the distance. Since the distance is shorter from a lower altitude, the time taken to fall will be accordingly shorter.