Question

You throw a rock off of a cliff in the horizontal direction with a velocity, v. One second later you throw an identical rock with the same velocity, v, in the horizontal direction. What will be the difference in the horizontal distances covered by the two rocks when they hit the ground?

1) The difference will be zero
2) The difference will be equal to the horizontal distance covered by the first rock in one second
3) The difference will be equal to the horizontal distance covered by the second rock in one second
4) The difference cannot be determined without knowing the height of the cliff

Answer 1

The difference in horizontal distances covered by the two rocks thrown from the cliff will be zero, as horizontal velocity is constant.

Step-by-step explanation:

The difference in the horizontal distances covered by two identically thrown rocks from a cliff, where one is thrown a second after the other with the same horizontal velocity, will be zero. Since there's no horizontal acceleration (assuming no air resistance), the velocity in the horizontal direction remains constant for both rocks until they hit the ground. Thus, both rocks will cover the same horizontal distance in their respective flight times, and the second rock's one-second delay does not change the horizontal distance it travels before impact compared to the first rock.