Question

Julissa throws a ball across her yard while playing catch. She exerts a force on the ball that ends once it leavesher hand. Which statement describes the motion of the ball in the vertical and horizontal directions just before it is caught?

A) The ball accelerates in the horizontal direction because of gravitational force, but its motion remains constant in the vertical direction because no force acts on it in that direction.
B) The ball accelerates in the vertical direction because of gravitational force, but its motion remains constant in the horizontal direction because no force acts on it in that direction.
C) The ball accelerates in both the horizontal and vertical directions because the gravitational force acts in both directions.
D) The ball's motion remains constant in both the horizontal and vertical directions because there are no external forces acting on it.

Answer 1

The ball accelerates in the vertical direction because of gravitational force, but its motion remains constant in the horizontal direction because no force acts on it in that direction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct statement is B) The ball accelerates in the vertical direction because of gravitational force, but its motion remains constant in the horizontal direction because no force acts on it in that direction.

Gravity causes objects to accelerate vertically towards the center of the Earth. Therefore, the ball will accelerate in the vertical direction due to the gravitational force acting on it. However, there are no additional forces acting on the ball in the horizontal direction once it leaves Julissa's hand. This means that its motion remains constant in that direction.