Final answer:
The velocity of a ball dropped from a building, ignoring air resistance, is determined solely by the acceleration due to gravity and the distance fallen, and not by the ball's mass.
Step-by-step explanation:
The velocity of the ball just before hitting the ground from a 100-foot high building is independent of the ball's mass if we ignore air resistance and the ball is dropped rather than thrown. If there is no air resistance and the ball is dropped (meaning no initial velocity except for the one resulting from gravity), its final velocity is determined by the acceleration due to gravity and the distance it falls. We can use the equation of motion vf = √(2gd) where vf is the final velocity, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²), and d is the distance fallen, to calculate this velocity. As g is a constant and d is given, neither the mass of the ball nor the air resistance, which is ignored, affects the final velocity.