Question

Two identical bowling balls A and B are each dropped from rest from the top of a tall tower as shown in the diagram above. Ball A is dropped 1.0 s before ball B is dropped but both balls fall for some time before ball A strikes the ground. Air resistance can be considered negligible during the fall. After ball B is dropped but before ball A strikes the ground, which of the following is true?

Option 1: Ball A is traveling faster than ball B.
Option 2: Ball B is traveling faster than ball A.
Option 3: Both balls are traveling at the same speed.
Option 4: The speed of both balls cannot be determined from the given information.

Answer 1

In free-fall where air resistance is negligible, Ball A, dropped 1.0 second before Ball B, is traveling faster than Ball B after Ball B is dropped but before Ball A strikes the ground because gravity has been acting on it longer, increasing its velocity over time.

Step-by-step explanation:

When considering two identical bowling balls, A and B, dropped from a tall tower under the condition where air resistance is negligible, we are discussing a free-fall situation, as defined in physics. Since both balls are identical and fall in the absence of air resistance, the only force acting on them is gravity, which accelerates all objects at the same rate regardless of their mass.

Ball A, which is dropped 1.0 second before Ball B, will have accumulated more speed by the time Ball B is dropped, due to gravity acting on it for a longer period of time. Therefore, at any moment after Ball B is dropped but before Ball A hits the ground, Ball A is traveling faster than Ball B. This is because velocity in free-fall is a function of time, and Ball A has been falling for additional time compared to Ball B.

So, the correct answer to the student's question is Option 1: Ball A is traveling faster than ball B.