Question

FIGURE Q5.15 shows a hollow tube forming three-quarters of a circle. It is lying flat on a table. A ball is shot through the tube at high speed. As the ball emerges from the other end, does it follow path A, path B, or path C ? Explain.

Short answer

The answer is (C) .

Step-by-step solution

Given Information :

Given that, A hollow tube forming three-quarters of a circle. It is lying flat on a table. A ball is shot through the tube at high speed.

We need to findout the path on which the ball should emerge.

Simplification :

The figure below shows the free body diagram ball inside the tube and out of the tube. Where, inside the tube, the normal force and the force of gravity are exerted in the vertical motion, while in the horizontal motion, there is a centripetal force that drags the ball toward the center of the tube. When the ball is out of the tube, there are no horizontal forces, so the ball will move in a straight line as the net horizontal force is zero.

In this case, the correct answer is (C).