Question

A ball tossed vertically upward rises, reaches its highest point, and then falls back to its

starting point. While the ball is rising, what is happening to its speed.
O it is increasing by 10 m/s^2
O it is increasing, but not at a constant rate
it is decreasing by 10 m/s^2
it is decreasing, but not at a constant rate
O it moves with constant speed

Answer 1

Third Option: It is decreasing by 10m/s^2

Step-by-step explanation:

When a ball is thrown in the air, it's fastest velocity occurs just as it leaves its source (e.g. the hand that throws it), and just before it hits the starting point. This is because this is when it has the most kinetic energy which translated into speed. As it rises, it starts to lose kinetic energy as it transforms into gravitational potential energy as the ball is fighting against the force of gravity as it moves further away from the Earth's surface. This means it begins to slow down until its speed is 0, its highest point, before falling and gaining kinetic energy again. Because of this, we can eliminate options 1, 2 and 5 as we know the ball's velocity decreases as it rises.

As the ball rises it's velocity decreases at a constant rate, as the amount of kinetic energy it has is proportional to its height. Therefore, the best option is option 3, as it states it is decreasing and gives a constant deceleration rate.

Hope this helped!