Question

In a game of baseball, a player hits a high fly ball to the outfield. (a) Is there a point during the flight of the ball where its velocity is parallel to its acceleration? (b) Is there a point where the ball’s velocity is perpendicular to its acceleration? Explain in each case.

Answer 1

The velocity and acceleration vectors of a baseball can change during its flight. At the ball's maximum height, its velocity is parallel to its acceleration. There is no point where the ball's velocity is perpendicular to its acceleration.

Step-by-step explanation:

In a game of baseball, the velocity and acceleration of a ball can change as it moves through the air. (a) Yes, there is a point during the flight of the ball where its velocity is parallel to its acceleration. This occurs when the ball reaches its maximum height. At this point, the ball stops moving upward and starts moving downward. Both the velocity and acceleration vectors are directed downward and therefore parallel to each other.

(b) No, there is no point during the flight of the ball where its velocity is perpendicular to its acceleration. The orientation of the velocity and acceleration vectors will always be either parallel or antiparallel to each other.

Answer 2

a) No

b) No

Step-by-step explanation:

When a bat is hit in a game of baseball such that it flies out of the field that means it is going with some angle to the horizontal.

a)

Then is such a case the velocity of the ball is never parallel to the acceleration because there acts a net acceleration which is resultant of the acceleration due to the applied force and the acceleration due to gravity but a component of the velocity when the ball descends the height acts parallel to the gravity.

b)

At no point during the motion of the ball its velocity is perpendicular to its acceleration because it has an initial angle of projection form the horizontal.