Question

A ball is dropped from a tower. From whose reference point is the ball approaching the observer?
A.
a person standing on the ground beneath the tower
B.
a person standing on top of the tower
C.
a person on the ground driving rapidly away from the tower
D.
a person in an airplane flying above the tower

Answer 1

A. a person standing on the ground beneath the tower.

Reason: the ball falls downward, so its distance to someone on the ground beneath the tower is decreasing — the ball is approaching that observer. From the top of the tower or from an airplane above, the ball is moving away (distance increasing). A person driving away from the tower also sees the separation increase, so the ball is not approaching them.