Use the description of the experiment to answer the prompt.

Question

A rubber ball is dropped from the top of a ladder. It bounces on the same spot on the ground several times, each time to a lesser height than the previous bounce, before coming to rest in place.

In one or two sentences, explain how the experiment shows the direction that gravity pulls an object, specifically showing that it does not pull an object parallel to the ground.

(2 points)

Answer 1

The experiment shows that gravity pulls the rubber ball vertically towards the ground, as each bounce is progressively lower, indicating that the gravitational force acts in the downward direction rather than parallel to the ground.