Question

A child swings a ball on a string in a circular motion. The ball moves in a plane vertical to the ground. If the sun is directly overhead how does the shadow move?

• A. In a circle
• B. In an ellipse
• C. In figure 8 patterns
• D. Back and forth along a straight line

Hint:

When a ball is swung in a vertical plane, the shadow follows a straight-line path if the sun is directly overhead.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

The shadow of the ball will move back and forth along a straight line because the child is swinging the ball in a vertical plane, causing the shadow to follow a linear motion when viewed from above. This happens as the angle between the sun and the ball changes periodically.