Projectile Motion: A pilot drops a package from a plane flying horizontally at a constant speed. Neglecting air resistance, when the package hits the ground the horizontal location of the plane will

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Maliyah

Physics

15 December, 18:41

Projectile Motion: A pilot drops a package from a plane flying horizontally at a constant speed. Neglecting air resistance, when the package hits the ground the horizontal location of the plane will

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Jillian Wiggins · Answer 1

The package had the same velocity as the plane when it was dropped. Newton's 1st Law says that "an object in motion tends to stay in motion, at the same velocity, in a straight line unless acted on by an outside force".

There only outside force acting on the package was its weight - - that force is straight down. The horizontal velocity that the plane gave the package continued (as Newton said it would), so as it fell, horizontally it kept pace with the plane.