Final answer:
The ball will fall to the ground due to gravity after being released by the football player. It follows a parabolic trajectory, transitioning from moving upwards with decreasing velocity to falling downwards with increasing kinetic energy.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a football player releases a ball with initial conditions, the ball's behavior can be predicted by the principles of physics. The correct answer to what will happen to the ball is: 1) The ball will fall to the ground due to gravity. This occurs because Earth's gravitational force pulls the ball downward. While in motion, the ball follows a parabolic trajectory because of its initial velocity and the constant acceleration due to gravity. When the ball reaches its highest point, its velocity is momentarily zero before it changes direction and begins to fall back to the ground, gaining kinetic energy as it descends. It’s significant to understand that the ball is in a state of free fall both when it moves upward away from Earth and when it falls back down.
In a typical game of soccer or football, when a ball is kicked into the air, it is aimed upwards to create an arc, as the trajectory of the ball must account for the force of gravity pulling it back to the ground. The changes in gravitational potential energy and kinetic energy during the motion of the ball are crucial concepts that explain the ball's behavior.