Question

An outfielder throws a 1.69 kg baseball at a speed of 73 m/s and an initial angle of 38°. What is the kinetic energy of the ball at the highest point of its motion? Answer in units of J.

Answer 1

To determine the kinetic energy of the baseball at its highest point, we calculate the horizontal component of its initial velocity and apply the kinetic energy formula using only this horizontal component. The kinetic energy at the highest point of the baseball's motion is approximately 2799.413 Joules.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking for the kinetic energy of a baseball at the highest point of its motion. To calculate the kinetic energy at that point, we need to consider only the horizontal component of velocity, since the vertical component will be zero at the highest point. We can find the horizontal component (Vx) using the initial speed (V) and the angle θ by the formula Vx = V * cos(θ). Once we have Vx, we can use the kinetic energy formula KE = (1/2) * m * Vx², where m is the mass of the baseball.

First, let's calculate the horizontal component of the velocity:
Vx = 73 m/s * cos(38°) = 73 m/s * 0.788 = 57.524 m/s

Now, let's calculate the kinetic energy at the highest point:
KE = (1/2) * 1.69 kg * (57.524 m/s)² = (0.845) * (3310.548) J ≈ 2799.413 J.