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During an ice hockey game, Sara had two shots on goal - one shot from 5m away at 10m/s and one shot from 10m away at 40m/s. Which shot did Holly, the hockey goalie, have a better chance of blocking?

a. Shot from 5m away at 10m/s
b. Shot from 10m away at 40m/s
c. Both shots have equal chances of being blocked
d. It depends on the angle of the shot

User BlueIceDJ
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1 Answer

3 votes

Final answer:

The shot from 5m at 10m/s offers more reaction time and thus Holly might have a better chance at blocking it in terms of time alone. However, goaltending often relies on anticipation, thus the answer could be that it depends on the angle of the shot.

Step-by-step explanation:

The shot from 10m away at 40m/s would likely give Holly a better chance of blocking. When considering reaction time and the puck's travel time to the goal, the shot from 5m away at 10m/s takes 0.5 seconds to reach the goal, while the shot from 10m away at 40m/s takes only 0.25 seconds. However, because the high-speed shot from 10m has a shorter time to react, goalies often rely on anticipation and positioning rather than pure reaction time. Therefore, it realistically depends on Holly's skill, reflexes, and anticipation as a goalie. But strictly in terms of reaction time, the first shot allows more time. This however ignores factors such as the angle of the shot, the goalie's positioning, and the puck's trajectory. So, while a slower shot normally could be easier to block due to more reaction time, in practice, the answer could be d. It depends on the angle of the shot.

User Pravesh Khatri
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