Question

using the image below, describe the motion of the ball on its way down as it is being thrown through the air and landing 2 meters away. the velocity of the ball decreases the acceleration of the ball stays the sa the position of the ball

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze velocity

When the ball is moving downwards, in the absence of air - resistance (assuming ideal case), the velocity of the ball increases in the downward direction. But if we consider air - resistance, the net force acting on the ball is the gravitational force minus the air - resistance force. As the ball moves down, the air - resistance force may increase and can cause the acceleration to decrease. If the air - resistance becomes equal to the gravitational force, the ball will reach a terminal velocity. Here, the answer "Decreases" for velocity might be considering air - resistance effects.

Step2: Analyze acceleration

The acceleration of the ball in the vertical direction is mainly due to gravity. In the absence of air - resistance, the acceleration of the ball is approximately \(g = 9.8\ m/s^{2}\) downwards. When air - resistance is considered, as the ball moves down, the air - resistance force acts in the opposite direction of motion. But as long as the ball is still accelerating downwards (not at terminal velocity), the net acceleration is still downwards and approximately constant (because the change in air - resistance with speed is non - linear but for the initial part of the motion, the acceleration remains approximately the same). So, "Stays the same" can be considered correct if we assume the air - resistance effect is not significant enough to cause a large change in acceleration.

Step3: Analyze position

As the ball is moving downwards, its position in the vertical direction (\(y\) - direction) is changing. The ball is moving from a higher position to a lower position. So the position of the ball "Decreases".

Answer:

The VELOCITY of the ball: Decreases
The ACCELERATION of the ball: Stays the same
The POSITION of the ball: Decreases