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As a tennis ball is struck, it departs from the racket horizontally with a speed of 28.0 m/s. The ball hits the court at a horizontal distance of 19.6 m from the racket. Determine the initial velocity of the ball in the x- and y-direction. What is the acceleration of the ball in the x- and y-direction?

User Lcnicolau
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Final answer:

The initial velocities of the tennis ball in the x- and y-direction are 28.0 m/s and 0 m/s, respectively. The ball's acceleration is 0 m/s² in the x-direction and 9.81 m/s² downward in the y-direction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is about projectile motion and the calculations involved in finding various components of a tennis ball's movement after being struck.

First, we need to determine the initial velocity of the ball in the x- and y-direction. Given that no forces act on the ball in the horizontal direction after it leaves the racket, the initial velocity in the x-direction is equal to the velocity with which it moves horizontally, which is 28.0 m/s.

Since gravity is the only force acting on the ball in the y-direction, the initial vertical velocity component is 0 m/s (assuming it was hit horizontally).

As for the acceleration, in the x-direction, there is no acceleration because no external forces are acting on the ball horizontally once it leaves the racket, meaning the acceleration in the x-direction is 0 m/s2. In the y-direction, the acceleration is due to gravity, which is approximately 9.81 m/s2 downward.

User Kcsquared
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