PROJECTILE MOTION BY VAMSI

SRINIVASAN
Syllabus Focus

Describe the trajectory of an object undergoing motion within the

Earths gravitational field in terms of horizontal and vertical components.

Describe Galileos analysis of projectile motion.

A projectile is an object launched into the air and which moves only
under the force of gravity.
Galileo Galilei was the first to believe that when objects fall, they all
accelerate at the same rate no matter their size or mass.
The Hammer and Feather drop from the Leaning Tower of Pisa was a
thought experiment devised by Galileo. (This is a contentious issue,
there isnt certainty he did the experiment).
He concluded four major points:
Projectile motion can be separated into horizontal and vertical components
which are independent.

Image sourced from:

http://www.mwit.ac.th/~physicslab/applet_04/physics_classroom/Class/vectors/u3l2b3.gif

The horizontal component of a projectile has constant velocity.

(acceleration is 0).
The vertical component of a projectile has constant acceleration (ay =
-9.8ms-2 on Earth)
The trajectory of a projectile is parabolic.
However there were two major limitations in the testing of his hypothesis:
On Earth, air resistance was a major obstacle in Galileos experiments
(dropping different objects the leaning tower of Pisa).
It is now known that the vertical component of a projectile does not have
constant acceleration (variations in the value of g, ay = -9.8ms-2 on Earth
doesnt hold for all places).
Galileo managed to minimise these difficulties in his experiments:
He analysed vertical motion by rolling different massed balls down
polished inclined planes. Evidence: Sure enough, they reached the
bottom at the same time regardless of mass.

He analysed horizontal motion by dropping an object from the crows nest

of a sailing ship. Evidence: The objects fell straight down regardless
of whether the ship was moving at a constant speed or still.

Syllabus Focus

Solve problems and analyse information to calculate the actual

velocity of a projectile from its horizontal and vertical components using the
linear motion equations.

The horizontal and vertical components of the initial velocity and velocity
at a particular time can be found using simple trigonometry by splitting
the vector into perpendicular components.
Therefore, for a parabola it can be deduced that for each component, the
values can be as follows:
uX = ucos

(ms-1)

uY = usin

(ms-1)

vX = ucos

(ms-1)

vY =
-usin
General
Formula

(ms-1Horizontal
)
Direction

Vertical Direction

v = u + at

vX = uX

vY = uY + aYt

v2 = u2 + 2as

vX2 = uX2

vY2 = uY2 + 2aYsY

s = ut +

aX = 0 (ms-2)
aY = g (ms-2) (-9.8ms-2 on
Earth)
sX = range (m)
sY = 0 (m)

1
2

sX = uXt

at2

sY = uyt +

1
2

aYt2

In summary:

Example: A ball is thrown out to the sea at a 30 angle from the horizontal
at 60 ms-1 on top of a 50m cliff. Determine a) the time of flight b) the
maximum height reached c) the range d) the impact velocity.

uX = 60cos(30)= 52 msu-1Y = 60sin(30) = 30

ms-1
vX = 52 ms-1
vY = ?
aX = 0ms-2
aY = -9.8ms-2
sX = Range
sY = -50m

a)

50m

sY = uYt + aYt2
-50 = 30t 4.9t2
t = 30 +

3024 ( 4.9)(50)

, t>0

2(4.9)
= 7.5 s
b) vY2 = uY2 + 2aYsY
0 = 302 + 2(-9.8)(h)

c) sX = uXt + aXt2
= (52)(7.5) + 0
= 390 m

h = 45.9 m