Final answer:
The x-component of the velocity of a ball launched at 48 m/s at 20 degrees is found using the cosine function and is approximately 45.0 m/s.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking to find the x-component of the velocity of a ball launched at 48 m/s at a 20 degrees angle above the horizontal. To calculate this, we can use the cosine function from trigonometry because the x-component of the velocity lies adjacent to the angle in the right triangle formed by the motion's direction. The formula to find the x-component is:
Vx = V * cos(θ)
Where V is the initial velocity and θ is the angle of launch. Plugging in the values:
Vx = 48 m/s * cos(20 degrees)
Calculating this gives us:
Vx ≈ 45.0 m/s
Therefore, the x-component of the ball's motion is approximately 45.0 m/s.