Mary and Debra stand on a snow-covered roof.They both throw snowballs with the same initial speed,but in different directions.Mary throws her snowball downward,at 30° below the horizontal; Debra throws her snowball upward,at 30° above the horizontal.Which of the following statements are true about just before the snowballs reach the ground below? Neglect the effects of air.(There could be more than one correct choice.)
A)Debra's snowball will stay in flight longer than Mary's snowball.
B)Mary's snowball will stay in flight longer than Debra's snowball.
C)Both snowballs will take the same amount of time to hit the ground.
D)Debra's snowball has exactly the same acceleration as Mary's snowball.
E)Mary's snowball has a greater downward acceleration than Debra's snowball.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Debra's snowball, thrown upward, will take longer to hit the ground because it first has to rise to its peak before falling down, effectively covering more distance in the vertical direction. Both snowballs experience the same acceleration due to gravity, regardless of their initial velocities or directions of throw, as long as air resistance is neglected.

Mary and Debra Stand on a Snow-Covered Roof