# Relative Velocity of Raindrops Experiment

#### Quiz

Q) You row a boat perpendicular to the shore of a river that flows $\ v_{b}$=3 m/s. The velocity of your boat is $\ v_{w}$=4 m/s relative to the water. What is the velocity of your boat relative to the shore?

A. 1 m/s    B. 5 m/s    C. 7 m/s    D. 15 m/s

#### Relative velocity of Raindrops Simulation(Experiment)

When the next simulation is not visible, please refer to the following link.

Relative Velocity
All velocity is measured from a reference frame (or point of view). Velocity with respect to a reference frame is called relative velocity. A relative velocity has two subscripts, one for the object, the other for the reference frame.

Relative velocity problems relate the motion of an object in two different reference frames.

Relative Velocity of Raindrop
When we train inside and outside of raindrops, then we looked out the window. We see raindrops fall sideways out there. Why is that? This is caused by the existence of two movements moving in different directions.

1. The train moves horizontally with a speed $\ v_{TG}$.
2. Precipitation that falls perpendicular to the ground at $\ v_{RG}$.
If the two vectors that we put down at one point arrested then we will get the sum of the second vector is as below:

$\ v_{TG}$ = Train velocity with respect to Ground
$\ v_{GT} (=-v_{TG})$= Ground velocity with respect to Train
$\ v_{RG}$ = Rain velocity with respect to Ground
$\ v_{RT}$ = Rain velocity with respect to Train

From the description above it is clear that we see slanting raindrops outside the train is the result of the resultant / sum of two vectors is the speed of the train velocity vector and velocity vector rainwater mutually perpendicular. The second resultant velocity vector is called the relative velocity of raindrops on us as a passenger train.