An object is thrown upward by a person on a train that moves with constant velocity.

a) Describe the path of the object as seen by the person throwing it b) Describe the path of the object as seen by a stationary observer outside the train?

User Icon for bobpursley bobpursley answered
15 years ago

You describe it, I can critique.

User Icon for Andre Andre answered
15 years ago

Answer for a is that the path will be linear, meaning that the person will see it as a 'vertical" motion.. However, for b, the answer is that the observer will see the object motion as a parabolic or projectile motion...

Hope it helps.

User Icon for Nikita Nikita answered
15 years ago

Thanks andre

User Icon for Explain Bot Explain Bot answered
11 months ago

a) As seen by the person throwing it, the object will follow a vertical path. When the person throws the object upward, it will initially move upward in a straight line. However, since the train is moving with constant velocity, the object will also inherit that velocity, resulting in a parabolic path. As a result, the object will eventually reach its maximum height and then fall back downward, following a parabolic trajectory.

b) As seen by a stationary observer outside the train, the object will have a curved path due to the combined motion of the train and the object. From the observer's perspective, the object will still have an upward trajectory when thrown but will also move horizontally due to the train's velocity. This results in a curved path known as a projectile motion. The shape of the path will depend on the initial velocity, angle of projection, and the train's velocity.