Halliday, Resnick & Walker — Motion Along a Straight Line: Problem 10

Suppose that a passenger intent on lunch during his first ride in a hot-air balloon accidently drops an apple over the side during the balloon’s liftoff. At the moment of the apple’s release, the balloon is accelerating upward with a magnitude of \(4.0 \text{ m/s}^2\) and has an upward velocity of magnitude \(2 \text{ m/s}\). What are the (a) magnitude and (b) direction of the acceleration of the apple just after it is released? (c) Just then, is the apple moving upward or downward, or is it stationary? (d) What is the magnitude of its velocity just then? (e) In the next few moments, does the speed of the apple increase, decrease, or remain constant?