A ball is thrown vertically upward with a speed of 40 m/s. The time taken by the ball to reach the maximum height would be approximately

When a ball is thrown vertically upward, it moves against the force of gravity, causing its speed to decrease until it momentarily stops at the maximum height [1]. The surface gravity of Earth is approximately 9.8 m/s² [2]. To find the time taken to reach the maximum height, we use the kinematic equation v = u - gt, where 'v' is the final velocity (0 m/s at the peak), 'u' is the initial velocity (40 m/s), and 'g' is the acceleration due to gravity. Substituting the values, we get 0 = 40 - 9.8t, which simplifies to t = 40 / 9.8 [2]. This calculation yields approximately 4.08 seconds. Among the given options, 4 seconds is the closest approximation to the calculated time of 4.08 seconds.

Sources

1. [1] Science ,Class VIII . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 5: Exploring Forces > Activity 5.8: Let us observe > p. 72
2. [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 2: The Solar System > 2.3. The Sun > p. 23