Question

When the Washington Nationals baseball relief pitcher, Aaron Barrett, releases the ball, it leaves his hand in the horizontal direction at the speed of 41.6 m/s. What is the velocity of the ball?

a) 41.6 m/s
b) 0 m/s
c) Cannot be determined
d) 30 m/s

Answer 1

The velocity of the baseball thrown by Aaron Barrett is 41.6 m/s in the horizontal direction, which is the magnitude of the velocity vector.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question asks about the velocity of the ball thrown by the Washington Nationals baseball relief pitcher, Aaron Barrett. Since velocity is a vector quantity that includes both speed and direction, the fact that the ball is released in a horizontal direction at a speed of 41.6 m/s means that this is also the magnitude of the velocity in the horizontal direction.

There is no vertical component of velocity mentioned, so assuming no other forces acting on the ball at the moment of release (ignoring gravity, air resistance, etc.), the velocity of the ball is 41.6 m/s horizontally. Therefore, the correct answer is (a) 41.6 m/s.