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Independance of Horizontal and vertical motion

If you place a coin on a ruler and a coin on a desk, knock the ruler such that the coin on the ruler falls vertically downard with no horizontal acceleration, and the coin on the desk is projected with both a vertical and horizontal component of motion, the coins hit the floor at the same time.

How does this prove that horizontal and vertical motion are independant?

What does the statement actually mean anwyay "they are independant"
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goonerjack
Original post by jsmith6131
If you place a coin on a ruler and a coin on a desk, knock the ruler such that the coin on the ruler falls vertically downard with no horizontal acceleration, and the coin on the desk is projected with both a vertical and horizontal component of motion, the coins hit the floor at the same time.

How does this prove that horizontal and vertical motion are independant?

What does the statement actually mean anwyay "they are independant"


This statement essentially means that gravity only acts in the vertical axis (up and down) - not in the horizontal axis (left and right).

So if you were to drive a car off the top of a cliff, it would hit the bottom at the same time as if it were just dropped from stationary at the same height of the cliff.

Gravity accelerates objects constantly in the vertical direction, regardless of the horizontal component of their velocity.
oh, so one is unaffected by the other.
If one component was removed, the time would always remain the same??
Original post by jsmith6131
oh, so one is unaffected by the other.
If one component was removed, the time would always remain the same??


bingo...

Time is the factor that links the horizontal and vertical motions ... its how you solve most projectile questions :smile:

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