Question

A baseball thrown from the outfield is released from shoulder height at an initial

velocity of 29.4 m/s at an initial angle of 30.0° with respect to the horizontal. If it is in its trajectory for a total of 3.00 s before being caught by the third baseman at an equal shoulder-height level, what is the balls net vertical displacement during its 3-s trajectory?

Answer 1

The net vertical displacement of a baseball thrown and caught at the same height is zero, as the upward and downward movements cancel each other out.

Step-by-step explanation:

The net vertical displacement for any projectile thrown and caught at the same height is zero because the starting and ending points are at the same vertical position. In more detail, when a projectile is launched and caught at the same height, the upward and downward displacements are equal in magnitude and opposite in direction, so they cancel each other out, resulting in zero net vertical displacements. The baseball in question was launched and caught at shoulder height; thus, irrespective of the path it took, its initial and final vertical positions are the same, meaning the net vertical displacement over the trajectory is indeed zero.