A softball player determines her pitching speed by throwing a ball horizontally from an elevation of 5 m above the ground.The ball lands 20 m downrange.What is her pitching speed?
A)5 m/s
B)10 m/s
C)20 m/s
D)25 m/s
E)none of the above

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The time it takes for the ball to fall 5 m can be calculated using the formula for free fall: $ t = \sqrt{\frac{2h}{g}} $, where $ h = 5 $ m and $ g = 9.8 $ m/s². This gives $ t \approx 1 $ second. The horizontal distance is 20 m, so the speed is distance/time = 20 m/s.

A Softball Player Determines Her Pitching Speed by Throwing a Ball