Final answer:
The speed of the ball increases as it falls from its maximum height due to the constant downward acceleration of gravity. This increase in speed during free fall is unaffected by the ball's mass, and gravity acts only on the vertical component of the ball's motion.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves the free fall of a ball and its speed as it falls toward the ground after being released from its highest point. As the ball is in free fall, the acceleration due to gravity affects it uniformly, regardless of the ball's mass. This acceleration is approximately 9.81 m/s2 downwards. Therefore, as the ball falls from its maximum height, its speed increases until it is caught or hits the ground. The acceleration of the ball is always directed downwards towards the center of the Earth. Even when the ball is moving upwards initially, it is slowing down due to gravity's pull, which means that it is in a state of free fall as soon as it leaves the thrower's hand, and thus its upward speed decreases until it reaches zero at the top of its trajectory. After that, it begins to fall back down, and its speed increases in the downward direction.
It is significant to note that when air resistance is negligible, all objects near the surface of the Earth will experience this same acceleration due to gravity and will increase in speed at the same rate when in free fall. This principle holds true regardless of whether the object is moving vertically or in the presence of a horizontal component, as gravity affects only the vertical motion of the object, with no influence on the horizontal motion.