Question

Carla holds a ball 1.5m above the ground. Daniel, leaning out of a car window, also holds a ball 1.5m above the ground. Daniel drives past Carla at 40mph and just as he passes her, both release their balls at the same instant. Whose ball hits the ground first? Explain.

Answer 1

Both balls will hit the ground at the same time because the horizontal velocity does not affect the time it takes for an object to fall from a certain height.

Step-by-step explanation:

The time it takes for an object to hit the ground when dropped is determined only by the initial height and the acceleration due to gravity, assuming no air resistance. Since both Carla and Daniel drop their balls from the same height of 1.5 meters and gravity affects all objects equally regardless of their horizontal motion, both balls would hit the ground at the same time. Horizontal velocity, such as that of Daniel's ball due to the moving car, does not influence the time it takes for an object to fall to the ground.