A rock is thrown from a cliff and lands in a river below. When the rock is at position X and taking into account the influence of air resistance, which of the following describes the direction of the gravitational force on the rock?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question recap: A rock is thrown from a cliff and lands in a river below. When the rock is at position X and considering air resistance, which option describes the direction of the gravitational force on the rock?

Option a. A: This depicts a horizontal or leftward direction. In reality, gravity acts vertically downward toward the center of the Earth, not horizontally. Therefore this option misrepresents the true gravitational pull.

Option b. B: This shows a horizontal or rightward direction. Like option A, gravity does not act sideways; it acts straight downward. Thus this choice is incorrect.

Option c. C: This shows a vertical downward force. Gravity always points downward toward Earth's center, regardless of the rock’s motion or air resistance, so this is the correct conceptual description of the gravitational force at position X.

Option d. D: This presents a diagonal direction. While the rock’s velocity or acceleration due to air resistance can have components along different directions, the gravitational force itself is purely vertical downward. The diagonal arrow mixes gravitational pull with other effects (like drag) and is not the actual direction of gravity.

In summary, gravity acts downward (vertical toward the ground) at all points in this scenario, while the other arrows misrepresent the true vertical nature of gravitational force or conflate it with drag or velocity direction.

A rock is thrown from a cliff and lands in a river below. When the rock is at position X and taking into account the influence of air resistance, which of the following describes the direction of the gravitational force on the rock?

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