A baseball is moving 40 m/s horizontally at the top of its flight. Three seconds later, it is still in the air and is moving at a speed of approximately?

Question

A baseball is moving 40 m/s horizontally at the top of its flight.  Three seconds later, it is still in the air and is moving at a speed of approximately?

I initially thought it was 40 m/s, but the actual answer is 50 m/s. How would I solve this?

oobleck · Accepted Answer

Starting from the time it was at the top of its arc, its vertical velocity is -9.8t
So, 3 seconds later, its vertical speed is -29.4 m/s

29.4 ia just about 30,
So its speed is √(40^2 + 30^2) ≈ 50 m/s