I.

PRINCIPLES OF MECHANICAL MOTION

PARTICLE KINEMATICS

Mechanics is the study of the motion of objects. When we describe motion we are
dealing with that part of mechanics called kinematics. When we relate motion to the forces
associated with it and to the properties of the moving objects, we are dealing with dynamics.

Particle. We will consider the motion of an idealized body called a particle.

Mathematically, a particle is treated as a point without extent, so that rotational and vibrational
considerations are not involved.
Actually, there is probably no such thing in nature as an object without extent. The
concept of “particle” is nevertheless useful because real objects often behave to a very good
approximation as though they were particles. A body need not be “small” in a usual sense of the
word in order to be treated as a particle. For example, if we consider the distance from the earth
to the sun, with respect to this distance, the earth and the sun usually are considered to be
particle.

Average Velocity. The velocity of a particle is the rate at which its position changes with
time. The position of a particle in a particular reference frame is given by a position vector
drawn from the origin of that frame to the particle. At time t, let a particle be at point P, its
position in the X-Y plane being described by position vector r. For simplicity we treat motion in
two dimensions only; the extension to the three dimensions will not be difficult.
At latter time t1 let the particle be at point Q, Y
Q, t1
described by position vector r1. The displacement
vector describing the change in position of the
particles as it moves from P to Q is r (= r1 - r) and
P, t
the elapsed time for the motion between these points
is t (= t1 - t). The average velocity for the particle
during this interval is defined by
 X
 r displacement , (vector )
v  (1-1)
t time, ( scalar )
Figure 1-1.

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In this case v is the average velocity. The quantity v is a vector, for it is obtained by dividing
the vector r by the scalar t. Velocity, therefore, involves both direction and magnitude. Its
direction is the direction of r and its magnitude is |r/t|. The magnitude is expressed in
distance units divided by time units, as, for example, meters per second, cm/s, mm/s, and km/h.
Notice, that the average velocity defined by Eq.1-1 involves only the total displacement
and the total elapsed time and does not tell us anything about the details of the motion between
P and Q. For example, suppose that a man leaves his house for work and returns nine hours
later. His average velocity for this trip is zero because the total displacement corresponding to
the nine-hour time interval is zero; he starts from his house and he also ends there.
Instantaneous velocity. Suppose that a particle
is moving in such a way that its average velocity,
measured for a number of different time intervals,
Y
does not turn out to be constant. This particle is said
to move with variable velocity. Then we must seek to
P
determine a velocity of the particle at any given instant
of time, called the instantaneous velocity. If r is the
displacement in a small interval of time t, following
the time t, the velocity at the time t is the limiting value X
approached by r/t as both r and t approach zero. Figure 1-2.

That is, if we let v represent the instantaneous velocity

at point P,

 r
v  lim . (1-2)
t  0 t

The direction of v is the limiting direction that r takes as Q approaches P or as t approaches

zero. As we have seen, that limiting direction is that of the tangent to the path of particle at point
P (Fig.1-2).
In the notation of the calculus, the limiting value of r/t as t approaches zero is written
dr/dt (see VI Chapter) and is called the derivative of r with respect to t. We have then
 
 r dr
v  lim  . (1-3)
t  0 t dt
The magnitude of instantaneous velocity is called the speed and is simply the absolute
value of v. That is,

7
 
 dr
v v  . (1-4)
dt Y

Speed, being the magnitude of a vector, is intrinsically

positive. Vector v we can write also as
Vy
v = ivx + jvy =
 dx  dy
=i  j , (two dimensional motion) (1-5)
dt dt
Vx X
where vx (= dx/dt) and vy (=dy/dt) are the scalar X
components of the vector v; i and j - unit vectors. Figure 1-3.
Then for magnitude of v we can write

v  vx 2  v y 2 (1-5a)

For three-dimesnional motion:

    
v  i v x  j v y  k v z , and v  v x 2  v y 2  v z2 . (1-5b)

Acceleration. Often the velocity of a moving

body changes either in magnitude, in direction, or Y
both as the motion proceeds. The body is then said
to have acceleration. The acceleration of a particle
B
is the rate of change of its velocity with time.
Suppose that at the instant t1 a particle, as in Fig.1-4
is at point A and is moving in the x-y plane with the A

instantaneous velocity v1, and at the latter instant t1

it is at point B and moving with the instantaneous X
Figure 1-4.
velocity v2. The average acceleration
a during the motion from A to B is defined to be the change of velocity divided by the
corresponding time interval, or
v 2  v1 v
a  , (1-6)
t 2  t 1 t
The quantity a is a vector, for it is obtained by dividing a vector v by scalar t.
Acceleration is therefore characterized by magnitude and direction. Its direction is the direction
of v and its magnitude is |v/t|. The magnitude of the acceleration is expressed in velocity

8
units divided by time units, as, for, example, meters per second per second (written m/s2 and
read “meters per second squared”).
We call a of Eq. 1-6 the average acceleration because nothing has been said about the
time variation of velocity during the interval t. We know only the net change in velocity and
the total elapsed time. If the change in velocity (a vector) divided by the corresponding elapsed
time, v/t, were to remain constant, regardless of the time intervals over which we measured
the acceleration, we would have constant acceleration. Constant acceleration, therefore, implies
that the change in velocity is uniform with time in direction and magnitude. If there is no change
in velocity, that is, if velocity remains constant both in magnitude and direction, then v is zero
for all time intervals and the acceleration is zero.
The instantaneous acceleration is defined by
 
 v dv
a  lim  . (1-7)
t 0 t dt
That is, the acceleration of a particle at time t is the limiting value of v/t at time t as both v
and t approaches zero. The direction of the instantaneous acceleration a is the limiting direction
of the vector change in velocity v. The magnitude a of the instantaneous acceleration is simply
 
a  a  dv dt .

One-Dimensional Motion - Constant Acceleration. Let us now further restrict our

considerations to motion that not only occurs in one dimension (the x-axis) but also for which
ax is equal to a constant. For such constant acceleration the average acceleration for any time
interval is equal to the (constant) instantaneous acceleration ax. Let t1 = 0 and let t2 be any
arbitrary time t. Let vxo be the value of vx at t = 0 and let vx be its value at the arbitrary time t.
With this notation we find ax from:
v x v x  v x 0
ax   ,
t t 0
This equation states that the velocity vx at time t is the sum of its value vx0 at time t = 0 plus
the change in velocity during time t, which is axt:
v x  v x0  a x t (1-8)

If the position of the particle at t = 0 is x0, the position x at t = t can be found from
x  x0  v x t (1-9)

9
 1
or x  x0  v x 0 t  axt 2 (1-10)
2

PROBLEMS
1-1. The position of an object moving in a straight line is given by x =4.0t - 2.0t2 + t3,
where x is in meters and t in seconds.

a. What is the position of the object at t = 1, 2, 3 and 5 s ?

b. What is the object’s displacement between t = 0 and t = 4 s ?
c. What is the average velocity for the time interval from t = 2 to t = 4 s ?
d. What is the instantaneous velocity at t = 1, 2, 3, and 5 s?
1-2. The position of an object moving in a straight line is given by x =2.0t - 5.0t2 + t3,
where x is in meters and t in seconds.
a. What is the position of the object at t = 1, 2, 3 and 5 s ?
b. What is the object’s displacement between t = 0 and t = 5 s ?
c. What is the average velocity for the time interval from t = 3 to t = 5 s ?
d. What is the instantaneous velocity at t = 1, 2, 3, and 5 s?
1-3. A particle moves along the x-axis according to the equation x = 3.0t – 1.0t2 where x is
in meters and t is in seconds. Calculate (a) the average velocity of the particle during the
first 3 s of it motion, (b) the instantaneous velocity of the particle at t = 3.0 s.
1-4. A particle had a velocity of 17 m/s and 2.5 s later its velocity was 30 m/s in the
opposite direction. What was the average acceleration of the particle during this 2.5 s
interval?
1-5. An automobile increases its speed uniformly from 25 to 55 km/h in one-half minute. A
bicycle rider uniformly speeds up to 30 km/h from rest in one-half minute. Compare the
accelerations.
1-6. A certain drag racer can accelerate from 0 to 90 km/h in 4.9 s. (a) What is its average
acceleration, in g’s, during this time? (b) How far will it travel during the 4.9 s, assuming its
acceleration to be constant? (c) How much time would be required to go a distance of 0.5
km if the acceleration could be maintained at the same value?
1-7. An arrow while being shot from a bow was accelerated over a distance of 50 cm. If its
speed at the moment it left the bow was 60 m/s, what was the average acceleration imparted
by the bow?
1-8. Two trains, one travelling at 95 km/h and the other at 135 km/h are headed toward one
another along a straight level track. When they are 3.2 km apart, both engineers
simultaneously see the other’s train and apply their brakes. If the brakes decelerate each train
at the rate of 1.0 m/s2, determine if there is a collision.

Consistency of Units and Dimensions. We can use any convenient units of time and
distance in equations describing motion of particle. If we choose to express time in seconds and

10
distance in meters, for self-consistency we must express velocity in meters per second (m/s) and
acceleration in meters per second squared (m/s2). If we are given data in which the units of one
quantity, such as velocity, are not consistent with the units of another quantity, such as
acceleration, then, before using the data in our equations we should transform both quantities to
units that are consistent with one another. Having chosen the units of fundamental quantities,
we automatically determine the units of our derived quantities consistent with them. In carrying
out any calculation, always remember to attach the proper units to the final result, for the result
is meaningless without this label.

Freely Falling Bodies. The most common example of the motion with nearly constant
acceleration is that of a body falling toward the earth. In the absence of air resistance we find
that all bodies, regardless of their size, weight, or composition, fall with the same acceleration
at the same point on the earth’s surface, and if the distance covered is not too great, the
acceleration remains constant thorough the fall. This ideal motion, in which air resistance and
the small change in acceleration with altitude are neglected, called “free fall”.
The acceleration of freely falling body is called the acceleration due to gravity and is
denoted by symbol g. Near the earth’s surface its magnitude is approximately 9.8 m/s2, and it is
directed down toward the center of the earth.
We shall select a reference frame rigidly attached to the earth. The y-axis will be taken
as positive vertically upward. Then the acceleration due to gravity g will be a vector pointing
vertically down (toward the center of the earth) in the negative y-direction. (This choice is
arbitrary). Our equations for constant acceleration are applicable here. We simply replace x by
y and set y0 = 0 in our equations (1-8)-(1-10), obtaining:
v y  v y0  a y t,
1
y  (v y 0  v y )t ,
2
1
y  v y0 t  a y t 2 ,
2
v y 2  v y 0 2  2a y y.

and for problems in free fall, we set ay = -g. Notice that we have chosen initial position as the
origin, that is, we have chosen y0 =0 at t = 0. Note also, that g is the magnitude of the free-fall
acceleration.
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1-9. Suppose that we wish to find the speed of a particle that has a uniform acceleration of
5.00 cm/s2 for an interval of 0.5 h if the particle has a speed of 30.0 m/s at the beginning of
this interval.
1-10. A body is dropped from rest and falls freely. Determine the position and speed of the
body after 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 and 5.0 s have elapsed.
1-11. The speed of an automobile traveling due to east is uniformly reduced from 75.0 km/h
to 43.7 km/h in a distance of 88.5 m.
a. What is the magnitude and direction of the constant acceleration?
b. How much time elapses during this deceleration?

1-12. A ball is thrown vertically upward from the ground with a speed of 23.4 m/s.
a. How long does it take to reach its highest point?
b. How high does the ball rise?

1-13. The position of a particle moving along the x-axis is given by = (3.0 − 2.0 ),
where x is in meters and t is in seconds. What is the position of the particle when it achieves
its maximum speed in the positive x-direction?
1-14. The position of a particle moving along the x-axis is given by = (11 + 14 − 2.0 ),
where t is in seconds and x is in meters. What is the average velocity during the time interval
from = 1.0 to = 3.5 ?
1-15. The 2007 world record for the men’s 100-m dash was 9.77s. The third-place runner
crossed the finish line in 10.07 s. When the winner crossed the finish line, how far was the
third-place runner behind him?
a. Compute an answer that assumes that each runner ran at his average speed for
the entire race.
1-16. A bank robber in a getaway car approaches an intersection at a speed of 45 mph. Just as
he passes the intersection, he realizes that he needed to turn. So he steps on the brakes, comes
to a complete stop, and then accelerates driving straight backward. Altogether his
deceleration and re-acceleration in the opposite direction take 12.4 s. What is the average
acceleration during this time?
1-17. A car is traveling west at 22.0 m/s. After 10.0 s, its velocity is 17.0 m/s in the same
direction. Find the magnitude and direction of the car’s average acceleration.
1-18. Your friend’s car starts from rest and travels 0.500 km in 10.0 s. What is the magnitude
of the constant acceleration required to do this?
1-19. The velocity of a particle moving along the x-axis is given, for > 0, by = (50.0 −
2.0 ) m/s, where t is in seconds. What is the acceleration of the particle when (after = 0)
it achieves its maximum displacement in the positive x-direction?
1-20. A car slows down from a speed of 31.0 m/s to a speed of 13.0 m/s over a distance of
380.0 m.
1-21. A particle starts from rest at = 0.00 and moves for 20.0 s with an acceleration of
+2.00 / . For the next 40.0 s, the acceleration of the particle is −4.00 / . What is
the position of the particle at the end of this motion?

12
1-22. The velocity as a function of time for a car of an amusement park ride is given as =
+ with constants = 2.0 / and = 1.0 / . If the car starts at the origin,
what is its position at = 3.0 ?
1-23. An object starts from rest and has an acceleration given by = − , where =
2.0 / and = −4.0 / .
a. What is the object’s velocity after 5.0 s?
b. How far has the object moved after = 5.0 ?
1-24. How much time does it take for a car to accelerate from a standing start to 22.2 m/s if
the acceleration is constant and the car covers 243 m during the acceleration?
a. How long does this take, assuming constant acceleration?
b. What is the value of this acceleration?
1-25. A fighter jet lands on the deck of an aircraft carrier. It touches down with a speed of
70.4 m/s and comes to a complete stop over a distance of 197.4 m. If this process happens
with constant deceleration, what is the speed of the jet 44.2 m before its final stopping
location?
1-26. A bullet is fired through a board 10.0 cm thick, with a line of motion perpendicular to
the face of the board. If the bullet enters with a speed of 370. m/s and emerges with a speed
of 200. m/s, what is its acceleration as it passes through the board?
1-27. A car starts from rest and acceleration at 10.0 / . How far does it travel in 2.00 s?
1-28. An airplane starts from rest and acceleration at 12.0 / . What is its speed at the end
of a 500.0 m runway?
1-29. A speeding motorcyclist is travelling at a constant speed of 36.0 / when he passes a
police car parked on the side of the road. The radar, positioned in the police car’s rear
window, measures the speed of the motorcycle. At the instant the motorcycle passes the
police car, the police officer starts to chase the motorcyclist with a constant acceleration of
4.0 / .
a. How long will it take the police officer to catch the motorcyclist?
b. What is the speed of the police car when it catches up to the motorcycle?
c. How far the police car from its original position?
1-30. Two train cars are on a straight, horizontal track. One car starts at rest and is put in
motion with a constant acceleration of 2.00 / . This car moves toward a second car that
is 30.0 away. The second car is moving away from the first car and is traveling at a
constant speed of 4.00 / .
a. Where will the cars collide?
b. How long will it take for the cars to collide?
1-31. A subway train accelerates from rest at one station at a rate of 1.20 m/s2 for half of the
distance to the next station, then decelerates at this same rate to the final half. If the stations
are 1100 m apart, find (a) the time of travel between stations and (b) the maximum speed of
the train.

13
 One-Dimensional Motion - Variable Acceleration. For motion in two dimensions with
variable acceleration we can write

 dv  dv x  dv y   
a i  j or a  i a x  ja y . (1-11)
dt dt dt
where ax(=dvx/dt) and ay(=dvy/dt) are the scalar components of the acceleration vector a. In
case of one-dimensional motion one of two scalar components of a is equal to zero.

1-32. A particle moves along the x-axis according to the equation x = 50t + 10t2 where x is in
meters and t in seconds. Calculate (a) the average velocity of the particle during the first 3 s
of its motion, (b) the instantaneous velocity of the particle at t = 3.0 s, and (c) the
instantaneous acceleration of the particle at t = 3.0 s.

1-33. If the position of an object is given by x = 2t3, where x is in meters and t in seconds,
find: (a) the average velocity and the average acceleration between t = 1 s and t = 2 s, (b) the
instantaneous velocities and the instantaneous accelerations at t = 1 s and t = 2 s. (c) Compare
the average and instantaneous quantities and in each case explain why the larger one is
larger.

Motion in a Plane. Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration. Now we return to a

consideration of motion in two directions, taken, for convenience, to be x-y plane. Fig. 1-4 shows
a particle at time t moving along a curved path in this plane. Its position, or displacement from
the origin, is measured by the vector r; its velocity is indicated by the vector v, which, is tangent
to the path of the particle. The acceleration is indicated by the vector a; the direction of a does
not bear any unique relationship to the path of the particle but depends rather on the rate, at
which the velocity v changes with time as the particle moves along its path. The vectors r, v,
and a are interrelated and can be expressed in terms of their components, using unit vector
notation, as
  
r  i x  jy ,
  
v  i vx  jv y , (1-12)
  
a  i a x  ja y ,

These equations can easily be extended to three dimensions by adding to them (as in Eq. 1-5b)
the terms kz, kvz, and kaz, respectively, in which k is a unit vector in the z-direction. Earlier we
14
considered the special case in which the particle moved in one dimension only, say, along the
x-axis, where the vectors r, v, and a were directed along this axis, either in the positive x-
direction or the negative x-direction. The components y, vy and ay were zero and we described
the motion in terms of equations relating the scalar quantities x, vx and ax. Or when the particle
moves along the y-axis, the components x, vx, and ax were zero and the motion was described in
terms of equations relating the scalar quantities y, vy, and ay. Now we consider motion in the x-
y plane so that, in general, both sets of components have nonzero values.

Motion in a Plane with Constant Acceleration. Let us consider first the special case of
motion in a plane with constant acceleration. Here, as the particle moves, the acceleration a does
not vary either in magnitude or in direction. Hence the components of a also will not vary; that
is, ax = const. and ay = const. We then have a situation that can be described as the sum of two
component motions occurring simultaneously with constant acceleration along each of two
perpendicular directions. The particle will move, in general, along a curved path in the plane.
This may be so even if one component of the acceleration - say, ax - is zero, for then the
corresponding component of the velocity - say, vx - may have a constant, nonzero value. An
example of this latter situation is the motion of a projectile that follows a curved path in a vertical
plane and, neglecting the effects of air resistance, is subject to a constant acceleration g directed
down along the y-axis only. We can obtain the general equations for plane motion with constant
a simply by setting
ax = constant and ay = constant.

Equation systems for accelerated motion in two domensional case:

x-direction: y-direction:
v x  vx0  a x t , v y  v y0  a y t ,
1 1
x  x0  v x0 t  (v  v x )t , y  y0  v y0t  (v  v y )t ,
2 x0 2 y0
(1-13)
1 1
x  x0  v x0 t  a x t 2 , y  y0  v y0t  a y t 2 ,
2 2
2 2
v x  v x 0  2a x ( x  x 0 ). v y  v y 0  2 a y ( y  y 0 ).

PROBLEMS

15
1-34. A particle moves so that its position as a function of time in SI units is
   
r (t )  i  4t 2 j  tk . (a) Write expressions for its velocity and acceleration as functions of
time. (b) What is the shape of the particle’s trajectory?
1-35. Ball rolls off the edge of a horizontal table top 1.5 m high. If it strikes the floor at a points
3.0 m horizontally away from the table, what was its speed at the instant it left the table?
1-36. A ball is thrown horizontally from a height of 20 m and hits the ground with a speed that
is three times its initial speed. What was the initial speed?
1-37. Show that the maximum height reached by a projectile is ymax=(v0sin0)2/2g.
1-38. A ball is thrown from the ground into the air. At a height of 9.1 m the velocity is observed
to be v = 7.6i + 6.1j in meters per second (x-axis horizontal). (a) To what maximum height
will the ball rise? (b) What will be the total horizontal distance traveled by the ball? (c) What
is the velocity of the ball (magnitude and direction) the instant before it hits the ground?
1-39. Electrons, like all forms of matter, fall under the influence of gravity. If an electron is
projected horizontally with the speed of 3.0107 m/s, how far will it fall in traversing 1.0
m?
1-40. A car accelerates from 40 km/h up to 80 km/h in 5.0 s. What was its acceleration in
m/s2, and how far did it travel in this time? Assume constant acceleration.
1-41. An eagle accelerates from 15 m/s to 20 m/s over a distance of 50 m. What was its
average acceleration?
1-42. A car decelerates from a speed of 30,0 m/s to rest in 6.00 s. How far did it travel in that
time?
1-43. A 100-m-long train accelerates uniformly from rest. If the front of the train passes a
railway worker 150 m down the track at a speed of 25 m/s, what will be the speed of the
last car as it passes the worker?
1-44. A car traveling 80 km/h decelerates at a constant 1.5 m/s2. Calculate (a) the distance it
goes before it stops, (b) the time it takes to stop, and (c) the distance it travels during the first
and third seconds.
1-45. Make up a table of stopping distances for an automobile with an initial speed of 80 km/h
and human reaction time of 1.0 s: (a) for an acceleration a = -4.0 m/s2; (b) for a= -8.0 m/s2.
1-46. A kangaroo jumps to a vertical height of 2.8 m. How long was it in the air before returning
to earth?
1-47. A helicopter is ascending vertically with a speed of 8,00 m/s; at a height of 120 m above the
earth, a package is dropped from a window. How much time does it take for the package to
reach the ground?
1-48. A person who is properly constrained by a shoulder harness has a good chance of surviving
a car collision if the deceleration does not exceed 30 g's. Assuming uniform deceleration at this
rate, calculate the distance over which the front end of the car must be designed to collapse if a
crash occurs at 100 km/h.
1-49. The acceleration due to gravity on the moon is about one-sixth what it is on earth. If an
object is thrown vertically upward on the moon, how many times higher will it go as compared
to earth assuming the same initial velocity.

16
1-50. Draw a graph of (a) the speed and (b) the distance fallen, as a function of time, for a body
falling under the influence of gravity for t = 0 to t= 5.00 s.
1-51. If air resistance is neglected, show that a ball thrown vertically upward with a speed v0 will
have the same speed, v0, when it comes back down to the starting point.
1-52. A falling stone takes 0.30 s to pass a window 2.4 m high. From what height above the top of
the window did the stone fall?
1-53. A stone is thrown vertically upward with a speed of 18.0 m/s. (a) How fast is it moving
when it reaches a height of 16.0 m? (b) How long is required to reach this height? (c) Why are
there two answers to (b)?
1-54. A rock is dropped from a sea cliff and the sound of it striking the ocean is heard 3.0 s later.
If the speed of sound is 330 m/s, how high is the cliff?
1-55. Pelicans tuck their wings and free fall straight down when diving for fish. Suppose a pelican
starts its dive from a height of 20 m and cannot change its path once committed. If it takes a
fish 0.10s to perform evasive action, at what minimum height must it spot the pelican to escape?
Assume the fish is at the surface of the water.
1-56. Suppose you adjust your garden hose nozzle for a hard stream of water. You point the nozzle
vertically upward at a height of 1.5 m above the ground. When you quickly move the nozzle
away from the vertical, you hear the water striking the ground next to you for 2.0 s. What is the
water speed as it leaves the nozzle?
1-57. A ball is tossed vertically upward with an initial speed of 26.4 / . How long does it
take before the ball is back on the ground?
1-58. A stone is thrown upward, from ground level, with an initial velocity of 10.0 / .
a. What is the velocity of the stone after 0.50 ?
b. How high above ground level is the stone after 0.50 ?
1-59. A stone is thrown downward with an initial velocity of 10.0 / . The acceleration of
the stone is constant and has the value of the free-fall acceleration, 9.81 / . What is the
velocity of the stone after 0.500 ?
1-60. A ball is thrown directly downward, with an initial speed of 10.0 / , from a height of
50 . After what time interval does the ball strike the ground?
1-61. An object is thrown vertically upward and has a speed of 20 / when it reaches two
thirds of its maximum height above the launch point. Determine its maximum height.
1-62. What is the velocity at the midway point of a ball able to reach a height y when thrown
with upward with an initial velocity ?
1-63. On August 2, 1971, Astronaut David Scott, while standing on the surface of the Moon,
dropped a 1.3-kg hammer and a 0.030-kg falcon feather from a height of 1.6 . Both objects
hit the Moon’s surface 1.4 after being released. What is the acceleration due to gravity on
the surface of the Moon?
1-64. Bill Jones has a bad night in his bowling league. Feeling disgusted when he gets home,
he drops his bowling out the window of his apartment, from a height of 63.17 above the
ground. John Smith sees the bowling ball pass by his window when it is 40.95 above the
ground. How much time passes from the time when John Smith sees the bowling ball pass
his window to when it hits the ground?
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1-65. A jet touches down on a runway with a speed of 228.4 /ℎ. After 12.4 , the jet
comes to a complete stop. Assuming constant acceleration of the jet, how far down the
runway from where it touched down does the jet stand?
1-66. A car accelerates from a standing start to 95.0 /ℎ in 4.20 . Assume that its
acceleration is constant.
a. What is the acceleration?
b. How far does the travel?
1-67. A car moving at 60 /ℎ comes to a stop in = 4.00 . Assume uniform deceleration.
a. How far does the car travel while stopping?
b. What is its deceleration?
1-68. You are driving at 29.1 / when the truck ahead of you comes to a halt 200.0 away
from your bumper. Your brakes are in poor condition, and you decelerate at a constant rate
of 2.4 / .
a. How close do you come to the bumper of the truck?
b. How long does it take you to come a stop?
1-69. A train traveling at 40.0 / is headed straight toward another train, which is at rest on
the same track. The moving train decelerates at 6 / , and the stationary train is 100.0
away. How long from the stationary train will the moving train be when it comes to a stop?
1-70. The driver of a car traveling at 25.0 / applies the brakes, and the car decelerates
uniformly at a rate of 1.2 / .
a. How far does it travel in 3.0 ?
b. What is its velocity at the end of this time interval?
c. How long does it take for the car to come to a stop?
d. What distance does the car travel before coming to a stop?
1-71. The fastest speed in NASCAR racing history was 212.809 ℎ (reached by Bill Elliott
in 1987 at Talladega). If the race car decelerated from that speed at a rate of 8.0 / , how
far would it travel before coming to a stop?
1-72. The position of a rocked sled on a straight track is given as = + + , where
= 2.0 / , = 2.0 / , and = 3.0 .
a. What is the sled’s position between = 4.0 and = 9 ?
b. What is the average speed between = 4.0 and = 9 ?
1-73. A girl is standing at the edge of a cliff 100.0 above the ground. She reaches out over
the edge of the cliff and throws a rock straight upward with a speed 8.00 / .
a. How long does it take the rock to hit the ground?
b. What is the speed of the rock the instant before it hits the ground?
1-74. The position of an object as a function of time is given by = − + .
a. What is the instantaneous velocity as a function of time?
b. What is the instantaneous acceleration as a function of time?
1-75. An object is thrown upward with a speed of 28.0 / . How long does it take it to reach
its maximum height?
1-76. An object is thrown upward with a speed of 28.0 / . How high above the projection
point is it after 1.00 ?
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1-77. An object is thrown upward with a speed of 28.0 / . What maximum height above
the projection point does it reach?
1-78. The acceleration due to gravity on the surface of Mars at the Equator is 3.699 / .
How long does it take a rock dropped from a height of 1.013 to hit the surface?
1-79. The acceleration due to gravity on the surface of Mars at the Equator is 3.699 / . A
rock released from rest takes 0.8198 to reach the surface. From what height was the rock
dropped?
1-80. A steel ball is dropped from a height of 12.37 above the ground. What is its speed
when it reaches 2.345 above the ground?
1-81. A steel ball is dropped from a height of 13.51 above the ground. How high above the
ground is the ball when it has a speed of 14.787 / ?
1-82. When a dropped steel ball reaches a height of 2.387 above the ground, it has a speed
of 15.524 / . From what height was ball dropped?
1-83. A skier launches off a ski jump with a horizontal velocity of 30.0 / (and no vertical
velocity component). What are the magnitudes of the horizontal and vertical components of
her velocity the instant before she lands 2.00 later?
1-84. An archer shoots an arrow from a height of 1.14 above ground with an initial speed
of 47.5 / a launch angle of 35.2° above the horizontal. At what time after the release of
the arrow from the bow will the arrow be flying exactly horizontally?
1-85. A football is punted with an initial speed of 27.5 / and a launch angle of 56.7° . What
is its hang time (the time until it hits the ground again)?
1-86. Stones are thrown horizontally with the same velocity from two buildings. One stone
lands twice as far away from its building as the other stone. Determine the ratio of the heights
of the two buildings.
1-87. You are practicing darts in your dorm. You stand 3.00 from the wall on which the
board hangs. The dart leaves your hand with a horizontal velocity at a point 2.00 above
the ground. The dart strikes the board at a point 1.65 from the ground. Calculate:
a. The time of flight of the dart;
b. The initial speed of the dart;
c. The velocity of the dart when it hits the board.
1-88. An object fired at an angle of 35° above the horizontal takes 1.50 to travel the last
15.0 of its vertical distance and the last 10.0 of its horizontal distance. With what speed
was the object launched? (Note: The problem does not specify that the initial and final
elevation of the object are the same!)
1-89. For a science fair competition, a group of high school students build a kicker-machine
that can launch a golf ball from the origin with a velocity of 11.2 / and a launch angle of
31.5° with respect to the horizontal.
a. Where will the golf ball back to the ground?
b. How high will it be at the highest point of its trajectory?
c. What is the ball’s velocity vector (in Cartesian components) at the highest point
of its trajectory?

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 d. What is the ball’s acceleration vector (in Cartesian components) at the highest
point of its trajectory?
1-90. If you want to use a catapult to throw rocks and the maximum range you need these
projectiles to have is 0.67 , what initial speed do the rocks have to have as they leave the
catapult?
1-91. A cannon is fired from a hill 116.7 high at an angle of 22.7° with respect to the
horizontal. If the muzzle velocity is 36.1 / , what is the speed of a 4.35 − cannonball
when it hits the ground 116.7 below?
1-92. A baseball is thrown with a velocity of 31.1 / of = 33.4° above horizontal. What
is the horizontal component of the ball’s velocity at the highest point of the ball’s trajectory?
1-93. A rock is thrown horizontally from the top of a building with an initial speed of =
10.1 / . If it lands = 57.1 from the base of the building, how high is the building?

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