What do we mean by the straightest possible path between two points on earth's surface?

An airplane flies eastward and always accelerates at a constant rate. at one position along its path it has a velocity of 34.3 m/s, it then flies a further distance of 40100 m and afterwards its velocity is 47.5 m/s. find the airplane\'s acceleration and calculate how much time elapses while the airplane covers those 40100 m.

What is the earliest point in the universe that we can observe? why can’t we see back further than this?

Ametal ball with a mass of 0.028 kg is dropped from rest at a height of 1.0 meters above the ground. assuming the energy in the ball is conserved, how much kinetic energy will the ball have when it is 0.5 meters above the ground?