Alice and Tom dive from an overhang into the lake below.Tom simply drops straight down from the edge,but Alice takes a running start and jumps with an initial horizontal velocity of 25 m/s.Neither person experiences any significant air resistance.Compare the time it takes each of them to reach the lake below.
A) Alice reaches the surface of the lake first.
B) Tom reaches the surface of the lake first.
C) Alice and Tom will reach the surface of the lake at the same time.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The time it takes for an object to fall from a certain height is dependent only on the vertical component of velocity because there is no air resistance. Both Alice and Tom start at the same height, so both take the same time to fall vertically to the surface of the lake.
The horizontal motion of Alice does not affect the time taken to reach the lake because it doesn't influence the vertical component of velocity. Therefore, Alice and Tom reach the surface of the lake at the same time.

Alice and Tom Dive from an Overhang into the Lake