Question

A physics student is riding on a train traveling north. Having read about inertia, the student performs an experiment with a golf ball. He reaches over the aisle and drops the ball from rest. Instead of hitting the floor directly below the student’s hand, it hits to the north, i.e., forward of that position. Which of the following might be the cause for this to happen?
(A) The train is moving at constant
(B) The train is speeding up. veloeity
(C) The train is slowing down.
(D) Whatever the cause, it cannot be any of the answers given.

Answer 1

Answer:

(C) The train is slowing down.

Explanation:

Since the ball seems to move forward, the train is slowing down. This is because Newton's 1st Law, objects inside the train tend to keep their previous state of movement, that is, the velocity before the train start slowing down, thus appearing to move forward in relation with the train itself.