An object is thrown with an initial speed v near the surface of Earth. Assume that air resistance is negligible and the gravitat
ional field is constant. An object is thrown with an initial speed u near the surface of Earth. Assume that air resistance is negligible and the gravitational field is constant. If the object is thrown horizontally, the direction and magnitude of its acceleration while it is in the air is _________.a. upward and decreasing b. upward and constant c. downward and decreasing d. downward and increasing e. downward and constant
Freefall is a special case of motion with constant acceleration because the acceleration due to gravity is always constant and downward. This is true even when an object is thrown upward or has zero velocity.
For example, when a ball is thrown up in the air, the ball's velocity is initially upward. Since gravity pulls the object toward the earth with a constant acceleration ggg, the magnitude of velocity decreases as the ball approaches maximum height. At the highest point in its trajectory, the ball has zero velocity, and the magnitude of velocity increases again as the ball falls back toward the earth.