Mary and Debra stand on a snow-covered roof. They both throw snowballs with the same initial speed, but in different directions. Mary throws her snowball downward, at 30° below the horizontal; Debra throws her snowball upward, at 30°. When the snowballs reach the ground below,
A) Debra's snowball will have a higher speed than Mary's.
B) Mary's snowball will have a higher speed than Debra's.
C) Both snowballs will hit the ground with the same speed.
D) Debra's snowball never hits the ground since it is thrown upwards.
E) Mary's snowball never hits the ground since it is thrown downwards.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Both snowballs have the same initial speed and experience the same magnitude of acceleration due to gravity. The only difference is the direction in which they are thrown. Therefore, both snowballs will hit the ground with the same speed.

Mary and Debra Stand on a Snow-Covered Roof