Final answer:
The initial direction of the cork is vertical, and the angle relative to the horizontal would be 90 degrees. Calculations for maximum height and time in the air would require additional information or assumptions about conditions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question you're asking involves projectile motion, which is a subject in physics where objects are launched at an angle, and their trajectory is determined by both their initial speed and angle of release. The trajectory and other aspects such as time in the air are calculable based on these initial conditions, as well as gravitational acceleration, which we typically approximate as 9.81 m/s2 on Earth's surface.
To calculate the initial speed of the cork, we would need more details like time in the air or a specific height it reached, which are not provided. The initial direction of the cork, as seen by an observer on the ground, would be vertically upward, and the angle relative to the horizontal would be 90 degrees if it's shot straight up. To determine the maximum height of the cork, we'd use the kinematic equation for vertically launched projectiles under the assumption of constant acceleration due to gravity.
The time the cork remains in the air can be calculated using the time it takes to go up until it stops momentarily at the maximum height (when vertical velocity is zero), and then the time it takes to come back down, which should be the same if air resistance is negligible.