A ball is dropped by a passenger from the window of a train moving with uniform velocity. The ball will reach the ground following a

Options

A. parabolic path for the passenger
B. parabolic path for the man standing on the road .
C. straight line path for the passenger
D. straight line path for the man standing on the road

Answer

To solve the problem, we need to analyze the motion of the ball dropped from a train moving with uniform velocity. Here’s the step-by-step solution:

### Step 1: Understand the situation
The train is moving with a uniform velocity \( v \) horizontally. When the ball is dropped, it has the same horizontal velocity as the train due to inertia.

**Hint:** Consider the concept of inertia and how it affects the motion of the ball when it is dropped.

### Step 2: Analyze the motion of the ball
When the ball is dropped, it will have two components of motion:
1. **Horizontal motion**: The ball continues to move horizontally with the same velocity \( v \) as the train.
2. **Vertical motion**: The ball will start to fall under the influence of gravity, which will accelerate it downwards.

**Hint:** Remember that the horizontal and vertical motions are independent of each other.

### Step 3: Determine the path of the ball
For an observer inside the train (the passenger), the ball appears to fall straight down because the horizontal motion of the ball matches the horizontal motion of the train.

For an observer standing outside the train, the ball will follow a parabolic trajectory. This is because, while the ball is falling downwards due to gravity, it is also moving forward with the horizontal velocity \( v \).

**Hint:** Think about how the combination of horizontal and vertical motions results in different perceived paths from different frames of reference.

### Step 4: Conclusion
Thus, the ball will reach the ground following a parabolic path as seen by an observer on the ground, while it appears to fall straight down to the passenger in the train.

**Final Answer:** The ball will reach the ground following a parabolic path (as seen by an observer outside the train).