A player kicks a soccer ball in a high arc toward the opponent's goal. When the soccer ball reaches its maximum height, how does its speed at this point compare to its initial speed

The speed of the soccer ball at height point is less than its initial speed

Explanation:

The initial velocity of the soccer can be written in vector form as

= v cos θ î + v sin θ j

where  is initial velocity of the ball

           v is the initial speed of the ball

Assume soccer ball is kicked at an angle θ with an horizontal and initial speed vm/s. Its horizontal component will be as,

= v cos θ

= v sin θ

At the maximum height, the vertical component becomes zero. therefore, the velocity of the soccer at the maximum point can be written as,

= v cos θ j

where, is velocity of the soccer ball at maximum height