James and John dive from an overhang into the lake below. James simply drops straight down from the edge. John takes a running start and jumps with an initial horizontal velocity of 25 m/s. If
There is no air resistance, when they reach the lake below
A) the splashdown speed of James is larger than that of John.
B) they will both have the same splashdown speed.
C) the splashdown speed of James must be 9.8 m/s larger than that of John.
D) the splashdown speed of John must be 25 m/s larger than that of James.
E) the splashdown speed of John is larger than that of James.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

John has an initial horizontal velocity, so his splashdown speed will be the vector sum of his horizontal and vertical velocities, making it larger than James' vertical-only splashdown speed.

James and John Dive from an Overhang into the Lake