Question

Suppose an airplane is flying along a level path at 160 km/hr. The plane is at an altitude of 1000m above the ground when the pilot drops a Coke bottle out the window. a) Draw a picture of the path of the bottle. b) How far horizontally does the bottle travel between the moment it is dropped and when it hits the ground?

Answer 1

(a) The diagram of the motion of the bottle is shown in the image attached.

(b) The horizontal distance traveled by the bottle is 635.05 m.

How to calculate the horizontal distance traveled?

The time taken for the bottle to fall from the given height is calculated as follows;

t = √ (2h / g)

t = √ (2 x 1000 / 9.8)

t = 14.29 s

(b) The horizontal distance traveled by the bottle is calculated as follows;

d = vt

where;

• v is the horizontal velocity = 160 km/h = 44.44 m/s
• t is the time of motion

d = 44.44 m/s x 14.29 s

d = 635.05 m