A package falls out of an airplane that is flying in a straight line at a constant altitude and speed. If you ignore air resistance, what would be the path of the package as observed by the pilot? As observed by a person on the ground?

Question

Ethan Rush

Physics

28 February, 01:36

A package falls out of an airplane that is flying in a straight line at a constant altitude and speed. If you ignore air resistance, what would be the path of the package as observed by the pilot? As observed by a person on the ground?

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Rihanna Day · Answer 1

If you ignore air resistant, then nothing affects the package horizontal motion. In Newton's first law it would keep the package at a constant speed, the speed of the airplane.

So to the eyes of the pilot who is also moving at the same horizontal speed, the lateral position of the package does not change. He can only perceive that the package is getting further away from him as it's dropping vertically.

To a person on the ground then the package is travelling in a parabolic path, where its horizontal speed is constant but vertical speed is increasing toward the ground at the rate of g.