Hawk and Squirrel

A hawk glides in a straight line at constant speed without descending with a squirrel grasped in its talons from time \(t_0\) until it accidentally releases the squirrel at time \(t_1\). The hawk continues to glide in the same direction at constant speed while the squirrel hits the ground at time \(t_2\).

Representing the hawk in the particle model as a filled circle, and the squirrel as an open circle, and neglecting air resistance:

Part 1

Draw a motion diagram for the hawk from times \(t_0\) to time \(t_1\) by hand, take a picture, and upload it. Show five equal time intervals between these times. Your file must be a pdf, titled “diagram1”.

Answer Section

File upload box will be shown here.

Part 2

Draw a motion diagram for each of the hawk and squirrel from times \(t_1\) to \(t_2\) by hand, take a picture, and upload it. Your file must be a pdf, titled “diagram2”.

Answer Section

File upload box will be shown here.

Part 3

Will the squirrel continue to move forward horizontally in the direction of the hawk as it falls? Explain your answer.

Answer Section

Answer in 2-3 sentences, try and use full sentences.

Part 4

When the squirrel is about to hit the ground will it be in front of, behind, or directly below the hawk? Explain your answer.

Answer Section

Answer in 2-3 sentences, try and use full sentences.

Part 5

Just before the squirrel hits the ground how will its speed compare to when it was in the hawk’s talons? Explain your answer.

Answer Section

Answer in 2-3 sentences, try and use full sentences.

Attribution

Problem is licensed under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.