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A football is thrown into the air at an upward angle, and it eventually hits the ground. Which describes its

motion correctly? Assume there is no air resistance.
answers:
In the vertical direction it moves up quickly, slows down, reverses direction, then speeds up until it hits the
ground. In the horizontal direction it slows down until it hits the ground.

In the vertical direction it moves up quickly, slows down, reverses direction, then speeds up until it hits the
ground. In the horizontal direction it moves at the same speed.

In the vertical direction it moves up at a constant speed, reverses direction, then falls down at a constant
speed until it hits the ground. In the horizontal direction it slows down until it hits the ground.

In the vertical direction it moves up at a constant speed, reverses direction, then falls down at a constant
speed until it hits the ground. In the horizontal direction it moves at the same speed.

1 answer

To describe the motion of a football thrown into the air at an angle, we need to consider the effects of gravity and the characteristics of projectile motion.

  1. Vertical Motion:

    • The football first moves upward, where it speeds up quickly due to its initial upward velocity.
    • As it ascends, gravity acts upon it, causing it to slow down until it reaches its peak (highest point), where its vertical velocity becomes zero momentarily.
    • After reaching the peak, it reverses direction and begins to fall back down, accelerating downward due to gravity until it hits the ground.

  2. Horizontal Motion:

    • In the absence of air resistance, the horizontal motion of the football remains constant. It does not slow down; it travels at a constant horizontal velocity throughout its flight.

From this analysis, the correct description from your options is:

"In the vertical direction it moves up quickly, slows down, reverses direction, then speeds up until it hits the ground. In the horizontal direction it moves at the same speed."

This option accurately summarizes the vertical motion's increasing and decreasing velocity due to gravity and the constant horizontal velocity without air resistance.