The Monkey Problem

A young native hunter in the Amazon is hunting monkeys with a bow and arrow. The hunter see a monkey sitting on a branch, and since the bow does not have a sight, the hunter pulls back the bow and points the arrow directly at the monkey. As the hunter releases the arrow the monkey notices the movement and drops off the branch. What happens next?

• A. The arrow misses, passing above the monkey.
• B. The arrow hits the monkey.
• C. You need to know the distance to know what happens.
• D. You should not be killing animals.

See if you picked correctly.

Answer

The Monkey Problem - Answer = B

The monkey was a bit too smart for its own good. If the monkey had not dropped from the branch the arrow would have missed, passing under the branch, since once the arrow is fired gravity acts upon it causing it to deviate from the straight line path. The arrow follows a parabolic path. If the y-motion of the arrow is examined, it is found that the arrow's y-position changes in the same way as the monkey's y-position changes when it drops off the branch. Thus the arrow's path curves to meet the monkey, and the arrow does strike the monkey. (see below)

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