NFL kicker Mason Crosby kicks the football on the ground at an angle. It reaches its highest point in 1.2 seconds and lands 55 meters away. What was the x-part of the initial velocity?

To determine the horizontal component (\( v_x \)) of Mason Crosby's initial velocity when he kicks the football, we'll analyze the projectile motion of the football. ### Given: - **Time to reach the highest point (\( t_{\text{up}} \))**: 1.2 seconds - **Total horizontal distance (range, \( R \))**: 55 meters ### Steps: 1. **Total Time of Flight (\( T \))**: - In projectile motion, the time to ascend to the highest point is equal to the time to descend back to the ground. - Therefore, the total time of flight is: \[ T = 2 \times t_{\text{up}} = 2 \times 1.2\, \text{seconds} = 2.4\, \text{seconds} \] 2. **Horizontal Velocity (\( v_x \))**: - The horizontal component of the velocity remains constant throughout the flight (assuming negligible air resistance). - The horizontal distance covered is given by: \[ R = v_x \times T \] - Solving for \( v_x \): \[ v_x = \frac{R}{T} = \frac{55\, \text{meters}}{2.4\, \text{seconds}} \approx 22.9167\, \text{m/s} \] ### Conclusion: The horizontal component of Mason Crosby's initial velocity is approximately **22.9 meters per second**. **Answer:** The initial horizontal velocity was approximately 22.9  m s⁻¹.