F R E E - F A L L S E PA R AT I O N

 

C O N C E P T U A L  C H E C K  P O I N T 

F R E E - F A L L    S E PA R AT I O N

You drop a rock from a bridge to the river below. When the rock has fallen 4 m, you drop a second rock. As the rocks continue their free fall, does their separation (a) increase, (b) decrease, or (c) stay the same?

                                             

R E A S O N I N G  A N D   D I S C U S S I O N

It might seem that since both rocks are in free fall, their separation remains the same. This is not so. The rock that has a head start always has a greater velocity than the later one; thus it covers a greater distance in any interval of time. As a result, the separation between the rocks increases.

A N S W E R

(a) The separation between the rocks increases.

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