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The horizontal and vertical components of two-dimensional motion are:
AAlways exactly equal
BAlways in the same ratio
CImpossible to separate
DIndependent of each other
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. Independent of each other
1. This is the single most useful fact in projectile motion.
2. The independence of motion states that the horizontal and vertical components of two-dimensional motion are independent of each other.
3. So what happens vertically does not change what happens horizontally.
4. That independence is exactly what makes resolving the motion worthwhile.
_Source: OpenStax College Physics for AP(R) Courses 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 3 'Two-Dimensional Kinematics', sections 3.1-3.4_
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