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Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.
The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.
It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.
Q. If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?
  • a)
    To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.
  • b)
    To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.
  • c)
    To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.
  • d)
    To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.
  • e)
    To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.
Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer?
Verified Answer
Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as foll...
The experiment described in the question is very similar to the one described in the passage so look for the option that matches the conclusion of the experiment in the passage. (E) clearly follows from this as the correct answer.
(A) Opposite. According to the experiment in the passage, to a person in the vehicle the stone should appear to fall in a straight line.
(B) The passage does not suggest anything about how an object should appear to a person sitting in another vehicle.
(C) Opposite. To this person the stone should appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.
(D) Such an outcome is not supported by the information in the passage.
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Most Upvoted Answer
Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as foll...
The experiment described in the question is very similar to the one described in the passage so look for the option that matches the conclusion of the experiment in the passage. (E) clearly follows from this as the correct answer.
(A) Opposite. According to the experiment in the passage, to a person in the vehicle the stone should appear to fall in a straight line.
(B) The passage does not suggest anything about how an object should appear to a person sitting in another vehicle.
(C) Opposite. To this person the stone should appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.
(D) Such an outcome is not supported by the information in the passage.
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Community Answer
Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as foll...
Explanation:

Understanding the Scenario:
- The passage explains the concept of motion in space and the relative positions of objects.
- It uses the example of dropping a stone from a moving railway carriage to demonstrate how the trajectory of an object can appear differently depending on the frame of reference.

Analysis of the Situation:
- When the stone is dropped from the moving vehicle, to a person inside the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line relative to the system of coordinates attached to the carriage.
- However, to a person standing on the platform (20 feet below), observing the stone from a different frame of reference (system of coordinates attached to the ground), the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.

Conclusion:
- Therefore, based on the information provided in the passage, if a stone were to be dropped from a moving vehicle onto a platform below, it would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola to a person standing on the platform.
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Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.The passage implies that scientists should refrain from doing which of the following?

Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.What can be inferred about the author from the first paragraph of this passage?

Directions: Read the given passage carefully and answer the question as follow.Among the speculative questions which arise in connection with the study of arithmetic from a historical standpoint, the origin of number is one that has provoked much lively discussion, and has led to a great amount of learned research among the primitive and savage languages of the human race. A few simple considerations will, however, show that such research must necessarily leave this question entirely unsettled, and will indicate clearly that it is, from the very nature of things, a question to which no definite and final answer can be given. Among the barbarous tribes whose languages have been studied, even in a most cursory manner, none have ever been discovered which did not show some familiarity with the number concept. The knowledge thus indicated has often proved to be most limited; not extending beyond the numbers 1 and 2, or 1, 2, and 3. At first thought it seems quite inconceivable that any human being should be destitute of the power of counting beyond 2. But such is the case; and in a few instances languages have been found to be absolutely destitute of pure numeral words.These facts must of necessity deter the mathematician from seeking to push his investigation too far back toward the very origin of number. Philosophers have endeavoured to establish certain propositions concerning this subject, but, as might have been expected, have failed to reach any common ground of agreement. Whewell has maintained that “such propositions as that two and three make five are necessary truths, containing in them an element of certainty beyond that which mere experience can give.” Mill, on the other hand, argues that any such statement merely expresses a truth derived from early and constant experience; and in this view he is heartily supported by Tylor.But why this question should provoke controversy, it is difficult for the mathematician to understand. Either view would seem to be correct, according to the standpoint from which the question is approached. We know of no language in which the suggestion of number does not appear, and we must admit that the words which give expression to the number sense would be among the early words to be formed in any language. They express ideas which are, at first, wholly concrete, which are of the greatest possible simplicity, and which seem in many ways to be clearly understood, even by the higher orders of the brute creation. The origin of number would in itself, then, appear to lie beyond the proper limits of inquiry; and the primitive conception of number to be fundamental with human thought.Q.What is the primary purpose of the passage?

Though the truism about Inuits having a hundred words for snow is an exaggeration, languages really are full of charming quirks that reveal the character of a culture. Dialects of Scottish Gaelic, for instance, traditionally spoken in the Highlands and, later on, in fishing villages, have a great many very specific words for seaweed, as well as names for each of the components of a rabbit snare and a word for an egg that emerges from a hen sans shell. Unfortunately for those who find these details fascinating, languages are going extinct at an incredible clip, - one dies every 14 days - and linguists are rushing around with tape recorders and word lists, trying to record at least a fragment of each before they go. The only way the old tongues will stick around is if populations themselves decide that there is something of value in them, whether for reasons of patriotism, cultural heritage, or just to lure in some language-curious tourists. But even when the general public opinion is for preservation of their linguistic diversity, linguists are finding it increasingly difficult to achieve such a task.Mathematicians can help linguists out in this mission. To provide a test environment for programs that encourage the learning of endangered local languages, Anne Kandler and her colleagues decided to make a mathematical model of the speakers of Scottish Gaelic. This was an apposite choice because the local population was already becoming increasingly conscious about the cultural value of their language and statistics of the Gaelic speakers was readily available. The model the mathematicians built not only uses statistics such as the number of people speaking the languages, the number of polyglots and rate of change in these numbers but also figures which represent the economic value of the language and the perceived cultural value amongst people. These numbers were substituted in the differential equations of the model to find out the number of new Gaelic speakers required annually to stop the dwindling of the Gaelic population. The estimate of the number determined by Kandlers research helped the national Gaelic Development Agency to formulate an effective plan towards the preserving the language. Many languages such as Quechua, Chinook and Istrian Vlashki can be saved using such mathematical models. Results from mathematical equations can be useful in strategically planning preservation strategies. Similarly mathematical analysis of languages which have survived against many odds can also provide useful insights which can be applied towards saving other endangered languages.The passage is primarily concerned with which of the following?

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Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?a)To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.b)To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.c)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.d)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.e)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer?
Question Description
Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?a)To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.b)To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.c)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.d)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.e)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer? for GMAT 2024 is part of GMAT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the GMAT exam syllabus. Information about Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?a)To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.b)To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.c)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.d)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.e)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for GMAT 2024 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?a)To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.b)To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.c)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.d)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.e)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer?.
Solutions for Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?a)To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.b)To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.c)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.d)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.e)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for GMAT. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for GMAT Exam by signing up for free.
Here you can find the meaning of Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?a)To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.b)To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.c)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.d)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.e)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?a)To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.b)To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.c)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.d)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.e)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?a)To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.b)To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.c)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.d)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.e)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?a)To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.b)To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.c)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.d)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.e)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice Directions: Read the Passage carefully and answer the question as follow.The purpose of mechanics is to describe how bodies change their position in space with time. I should load my conscience with grave sins against the sacred spirit of lucidity were I to formulate the aims of mechanics in this way, without serious reflection and detailed explanations. Let us proceed to disclose these sins.It is not clear what is to be understood here by “position” and “space.” I stand at the window of a railway carriage which is travelling uniformly, and drop a stone on the embankment, without throwing it. Then, disregarding the influence of the air resistance, I see the stone descend in a straight line. A pedestrian who observes the misdeed from the footpath notices that the stone falls to earth in a parabolic curve. I now ask: Do the “positions” traversed by the stone lie “in reality” on a straight line or on a parabola? Moreover, what is meant here by motion “in space” ? From the considerations of the previous section, the answer is self-evident. In the first place we entirely shun the vague word “space,” of which, we must honestly acknowledge, we cannot form the slightest conception, and we replace it by “motion relative to a practically rigid body of reference.” The positions relative to the body of reference (railway carriage or embankment) have already been defined in detail in the preceding section. If instead of “body of reference” we insert “system of co-ordinates,” which is a useful idea for mathematical description, we are in a position to say: The stone traverses a straight line relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the carriage, but relative to a system of co-ordinates rigidly attached to the ground (embankment) it describes a parabola. With the aid of this example it is clearly seen that there is no such thing as an independently existing trajectory, but only a trajectory relative to a particular body of reference.Q.If a stone were to be dropped—on a platform 20 feet below—from the window of a moving vehicle, which of the following must be true, according to the information in the passage?a)To a person sitting in the vehicle, the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.b)To a person sitting in another vehicle 500 metres behind, the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.c)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in a straight line.d)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall either in a straight line or in the shape of a parabola.e)To a person standing on the platform the stone would appear to fall in the shape of a parabola.Correct answer is option 'E'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice GMAT tests.
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