If a cannon fires a cannonball horizontally and another is dropped at the same time, what will happen?

When a cannon fires a cannonball horizontally, it is given an initial horizontal velocity but it still experiences the effect of gravity. The dropped cannonball, on the other hand, starts its fall from rest and also accelerates downward due to gravity. Both cannonballs are affected by gravity in the same way and will undergo the same acceleration towards the ground.

Since both cannonballs are released at the same height and at the same moment, the downward motion of both is dictated solely by gravity. Although the horizontally fired cannonball travels forward while falling, it does not influence the time it takes to hit the ground. Both will hit the ground at the same time because the horizontal motion does not affect vertical descent.

In essence, despite the horizontal velocity of the fired cannonball, the downward acceleration due to gravity is identical for both objects. Therefore, they will impact the ground simultaneously.