Planes can be put (safely) into free fall for periods up to \(40 \mathrm{~s}\).

(a) If the plane shown in Figure 13.21 was flying horizontally before being put into free fall, how much altitude does it lose in those \(40 \mathrm{~s}\) ?

(b) What is the plane's final vertical speed of descent?

(c) At the instant shown, is the vertical component of the plane's velocity directed upward, directed downward, or zero?

Transcribed Image Text:

Figure 13.21 If an airplane briefly follows a parabolic path such that it has a downward acceleration g, the airplane and the people inside it are in free fall. In this picture, astronaut candidates aboard a KC-135 Stratotanker briefly experience weightlessness as they and the plane are in a short free fall.