Question

A dime is placed at the edge of a table so it hangs over slightly. A quarter is slid horizontally on the table surface perpendicular to the edge and hits the dime head on. Which coin hits the ground first?

a) Dime
b) Quarter
c) Both at the same time
d) It depends on their masses

Answer 1

Both the dime and the quarter will hit the ground at the same time when they are released simultaneously and fall freely, because the horizontal motion of the coins does not affect the acceleration due to gravity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question concerns the physical principles of motion, specifically Newton's laws of motion and the independence of horizontal and vertical components of motion in a gravity field. When the quarter is slid horizontally to hit the dime, and both coins start to fall at the same time, the horizontal motion of the quarter does not affect the rate at which gravity pulls it downward.

Therefore, both coins hit the ground at the same time (option c), assuming there is no air resistance and that the collisions and releases are simultaneous. The mass of the coins does not affect this outcome, since all objects in free fall accelerate toward Earth at the same rate, given by the acceleration due to gravity (approximately 9.81 m/s2).