Kavya hits a ball in the lane. It rolls along the ground and slowly comes to a stop
Kavya hits a ball in the lane. It rolls along the ground and slowly comes to a stop. Imran says the ball stopped because the push from the bat ran out. Kavya says nothing ran out — something was acting on the ball the whole time. Who is right?
Who do you think is right? Pick one.
The answer: Kavya is right
Why
Imran's picture feels completely natural — you push, the push seems to sit inside the ball, and when it is spent the ball stops. But a moving thing needs nothing to keep it moving; it needs something to STOP it. That something is friction between ball and ground, rubbing backwards the entire time until the motion is gone. Picture the same ball on a smooth marble floor: it travels much further. Now roll it on sand and it dies almost at once — the push from your hand was identical, only the friction changed. Kavya is right: the bat's push ended the instant they parted; what slowed the ball was friction acting all the way.
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