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.Just as they reach the lake below,
A) the speed of Alice is larger than that of Tom.
B) the splashdown speed of Alice is larger than that of Tom.
C) they will both have the same speed.
D) the speed of Tom will always be 9.8 m/s larger than that of Alice.
E) the speed of Alice will always be 25 m/s larger than that of Tom.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Alice has an initial horizontal velocity, so her total speed is the vector sum of her horizontal and vertical velocities. Tom only has vertical velocity. Since both fall the same vertical distance, they have the same vertical speed, but Alice's horizontal speed makes her total speed larger.

Alice and Tom Dive from an Overhang into the Lake