Question

A 500 g soccer ball, a 600 g basketball and 550 g volleyball are dropped from a 10 m high window. At the same time a bullet was shot horizontally at 50 m/s from the same window. Which statement is TRUE? (ignore air resistance)

Group of answer choices

The bullet will reach the ground first and then all the three balls will reach at the same time

All four will reach the ground at the same time

The bullet will be the fastest and then basketball will be followed by volleyball and the soccer ball will be the last to reach the ground.

The bullet will be the last to reach the ground. All the three balls will reach the ground at the same time.

Answer 1

Solution

Answer: All four will reach ground at the same time.

Since air resistance is not taken into account, the only force acting on all of the four are downward gravitational pull. The earth pulls every body(irrespective of their masses) at the same rate of acceleration, g=9.8m/s^2 Since all three balls are dropped from same height with no horizontal velocity, they three will traverse a straight line path downward, constantly accelerating downward reaching ground the same time. The bullet whereas shot with an initial horizontal velocity will experience same acceleration downward while keeping its horizontal velocity. Thus the path followed by bullet will be a parabola. But since the initial vertical velocity of bullet is zero(same as balls) it will also reach ground at the same time balls reach the ground.