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Thrown horizontally from 5 m at 12 m/s
A ball is thrown horizontally at 12 m/s from a platform 5 m high (g = 10 m/s²). Find the time of flight and the horizontal distance.
Answer
Time to land 1 s, horizontal range 12 m
Step-by-step
- t = √(2h/g) = √(2×5/10) = 1Free fall vertically: the time to land depends only on the height
- x = v₀t = 12×1 = 12Uniform horizontal motion at constant velocity
Why it works
The two directions are independent: vertically the ball is in free fall, so the height alone fixes the time, while horizontally it keeps its 12 m/s.
Common mistakes
- Dividing the 5 m height by 12 m/s to get the time of flight.
- Mixing the horizontal initial speed into the vertical motion.