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Multiple Choice
Bob throws a ball from his second story window to his friend Steve who is on the ground below. Assume that Bob throws the ball horizontally at , and Steve will catch the ball at a point below Bob. How far from the base of the building should Steve stand in order to catch the ball?
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Verified step by step guidance
1
Identify the known values: the horizontal velocity of the ball is 10 m/s, and the vertical distance the ball falls is 4.5 m.
Use the kinematic equation for vertical motion to find the time it takes for the ball to fall 4.5 m. The equation is: , where is the initial vertical velocity (0 m/s), is the acceleration due to gravity (9.8 m/s²), and is the vertical distance (4.5 m).
Solve the kinematic equation for time . Since the initial vertical velocity is 0, the equation simplifies to . Rearrange to find .
Calculate the horizontal distance the ball travels using the horizontal velocity and the time found in the previous step. The formula is: , where is the horizontal velocity (10 m/s).
Substitute the time from step 3 into the horizontal distance formula to find how far Steve should stand from the base of the building.