Question

During a football game, a student accidentally knocks similar gym bags, one empty and one full of shoes and clothes, off the back of the bleachers. If there is no air resistance, which bag will hit the ground first? (5 points)
• They will both hit the ground at the same time.
• The empty bag will hit the ground first.
• The full bag will hit the ground first.
• This cannot be determined because the dimensions of the bags are needed.

Answer 1

They will both hit the ground at the same time.

Reason: without air resistance, all objects accelerate downward at the same rate g, independent of mass or contents. From s = 1/2 g t^2, the fall time t = sqrt(2s/g) depends only on the height, not the mass.