[SOLVED]A bomb is dropped from an airplane

karush

Well-known member
View attachment 1553

this looks like a very easy problem but I was ??? about the bomb not dropping really in a vertical direction but implies that when it hits the ground it will right over the plane?
this was under exercises for differentiation but don't why it would be used for this
no ans in bk on this one..

Chris L T521

Well-known member
Staff member
Re: a bomb is dropped from an airplane

View attachment 1553

this looks like a very easy problem but I was ??? about the bomb not dropping really in a vertical direction but implies that when it hits the ground it will right over the plane?
this was under exercises for differentiation but don't why it would be used for this
no ans in bk on this one..

Given that the airplane is moving at some rate, the bomb will be moving at the same rate in the horizontal (i.e. $x$) direction the instant it's released from the plane. From the reference frame of the ground, the bomb takes on a parabolic trajectory (where it's path is given by the equation $s(t)=-16t^2+s_0$). However, from the reference frame of the plane, it will appear as if the bomb is falling straight down.

Does this clarify things?