Hivemind question: If you're walking along with a tennis ball and you throw it -- to the extent possible -- straight up, where will it land?

Analysis: I hate the science textbook.

If you're walking at a steady velocity, then (negating air resistance and stuff) it ought to land back in your hand.

Yes. Unless you happen to be walking on a very tiny asteroid.

TAR made me very very happy tonight. Woo hooo he's gone! Gone, gone, gone. And the Chos did not sacrifice themselves for Kentucky!!!

it ought to land back in your hand.

Like, if you keep walking, or if you stop immediately after throwing it up?

ETA: Let me just add, I feel like a total moron for not knowing this right off, but... well, but I think it's a really bad experiment and demonstrates exactly nothing, since there's no way to orient your throwing muscles in exactly and only one direction and turn off your compensating brain.

The ball has the momentum of your forward movement as well as the thrown momentum. So it'd land right back in your hand...as long as you keep walking. Otherwise it'll land in front of you.

Had sushi. Every now and again I crave the Philadelphia roll. I have to remember not to do that. I can't eat six of those and anything else.

Right, that's what I thought (as long as you don't, say, compensate for your forward movement because you think you're supposed to).

I don't think most people do. It'd be something I'd have to think about doing--tossing a ball up in the air and expecting it to come right back down to the same relative point, moving or stationary, is second nature for me. Anything else would be forced, and probably ill-calculated.

Emily, you're over-thinking the problem....