Acceleration of the Amazing Gonzo

What was Gonzo’s vertical acceleration at the top of his flight?

Group of answer choices

0

10 m/s²

-10 m/s²

9.64 m/s²

Gonzo's vertical acceleration at the top of his flight:

Like any other projectile under gravity, Gonzo's vertical acceleration at the top of his flight is equal to the acceleration due to gravity, which is approximately -9.80 m/s² (pointing downward).

Gonzo's vertical acceleration at the top of his flight, like any other projectile in flight under the influence of gravity alone, would be equal to the acceleration due to gravity.

While different reference systems might have slight variations, an accepted approximate value for the acceleration due to gravity on Earth is 9.80 m/s². This value is downward (toward the center of the Earth) which in some mathematical convention could be expressed as -9.80 m/s². Either option may be acceptable depending on the context and convention used, but -9.80 m/s² is more precise as it takes direction into account--downward being typically defined as the negative direction.

The specific acceleration would be 0 m/s² if we were discussing horizontal acceleration or the object's speed at its peak was under discussion. At the very top of the path, the vertical speed is momentarily 0 m/s, right before it starts to descend. Nevertheless, in terms of vertical acceleration, it remains at approximately -9.80 m/s² due to gravity.