Final Answer:
1. The skateboard follows a parabolic projectile path (it moves forward and down under gravity alone), while the skateboarder’s body can change shape mid-air—e.g., tucking knees or shifting arms—to control orientation, but his center of mass still follows the same parabolic path as the board.
2. He jumps *with* the board—pushing off the board just before leaving the ground so both he and the board have the same horizontal velocity. While in the air, he uses body movements (like pulling his legs up) to keep the board underneath him, but no external force keeps them together; it’s due to matching initial motion and conservation of horizontal momentum.
3. Although Newton’s first law says an object in motion stays in motion in a straight line unless acted on by a force, the skateboarder *does* experience a force: gravity pulls him downward, curving his path into a parabola. This curved motion is called
projectile motion.
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Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of projectile motion worksheet with answers.
