Question

You drop a small ball, and then a second small ball. When you drop the second ball, the distance between them is 3 cm. What statement below is correct? Explain.
a) The distance between the ball stays the same
b) The distance between the balls decreases.
c) The distance between the balls increases.

Answer 1

Answer:

c) The distance between the balls increases.

Explanation:

If you drop the balls at the same time, regardless of their masses they accelerate equally, since they will be in free fall.

However, if you drop one of the balls earlier, then that ball will gain velocity, whereas the second ball has zero initial velocity. At the time the second ball is dropped, both balls have the same acceleration but different initial velocities.

According to the below kinematics equation:

$x = v_0t + \frac{1}{2}at^2$

The initial velocity of the first ball will make the difference, and the first ball will travel a greater distance than the second ball. Hence, their distance increases.