Question
Question: A passenger, observer A, in a car traveling at a constant horizontal velocity of magnitude 60 mi/h p...
A passenger, observer A, in a car traveling at a constant horizontal velocity of magnitude 60 mi/h pour a cup of coffee for the tired driver. Observer B stands on the side of the road and watches the pouring process through the window of the car as it passes. Which observer(s) sees a parabolic path for the coffee as it moves through the air ?
A
A
B
B
C
Both A and B
D
Neither A nor B
Answer
Both A and B
Explanation
Solution
Passenger A sees the coffee pouring in a ''normal'' parabolic path, just as if she were standing on the ground pouring it. The stationary observer B sees the coffee moving in a parabolic path that is extended horizontally due to the constant horizontal velocity of 60 mi/h.